


Trust

by HiIAmSociallyAwkwardButHereIAm



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: F/F, F/M, How Do I Tag, I'm Bad At Tagging, Parent Alex Danvers, Parents Alex Danvers/Maggie Sawyer, Trust Issues, Why Did I Write This?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-30
Updated: 2020-12-21
Packaged: 2021-03-09 06:08:29
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 22,897
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27280009
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HiIAmSociallyAwkwardButHereIAm/pseuds/HiIAmSociallyAwkwardButHereIAm
Summary: What happen when Alex's team raids a Cadmus warehouse and find a sixteen-year-old Kryptonian? Who is she?This story's from the POV of sixteen-year-old Kryptonian Astrid Zor'El, who was kidnapped by Cadmus the moment she arrived on earth.
Relationships: Alex Danvers & Kara Danvers, Alex Danvers & Lena Luthor, Alex Danvers & Lucy Lane, Alex Danvers & Winn Schott Jr., Alex Danvers/Maggie Sawyer, Kara Danvers & Carter Grant, Kara Danvers & Maggie Sawyer, Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor, Maggie Sawyer & Winn Schott Jr.
Comments: 28
Kudos: 57





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Pls comment whether I should continue or ditch this. I rlly don't know
> 
> TW: mentioned abuse

I shivered, pulling my knees up to my chest. Cold had long-since set into my bones. Darkness surrounded me in the confined space I was in, and apart from the faint glowing of the kryptonite around my wrists and ankles, everything was black. The cell - cage, rather - was so small that I couldn't even stand, nor stretch my legs out to their full length. I was surrounded by a blanket of silence. Silence was good. Silence meant no one was here to hurt me.

I guessed it was early in the morning, judging by the quiet calls of the birds from outside. I hadn't been outside in a long time. I hadn't seen the sun in a while either. I can barely remember what the warmth of it on my skin feels like. I'd crashed on Earth two years ago. I'm not from here, you see. I'm from Krypton. My pod had closely followed Kara Zor-el's just before the destruction of Krypton, and we'd both gotten knocked off course into the phantom zone. I had been fourteen at the time, a little older than my sister, Kara. I don't remember how I got out of the phantom zone. All I remember was intense heat and fire. So much fire. It had surrounded my pod, before we crashed into a lake.

Moments later, it had been opened and over me had stood these adults. They'd immediately grabbed at me and had forced me into kryptonite restraints. I hadn't had the energy to fight back then, but now... now I wish I had.

I was half-dozing when I was startled awake by a blaring noise. Artificial lights flicked on above me and I winced at my eyes stung from the brightness. I covered my ears with my hands, unable to stand the alarm signalling the opening of the large doors at the front of the building. As my eyes adjusted I took in the all-too-familiar lab equipment. Shuddering, I forced my gaze away from said equipment and focussed on the many crates around me. I couldn't see the entire warehouse; my view was somewhat blocked by piles of boxes, and I was in the far back corner.

As the scientists entered the building, I slid into the corner of my cage, as far from them as possible. Tiredness made my body heavy, and I'm sure the lack of food and kryptonite didn't help much either. A well dressed lady approached me and I avoided eye contact with her. I knew her all too well. Lillian Luthor. The devil in human flesh. I had long since stopped fighting against her, knowing it would just end in pain for me. Still, every now and then I would slip in a snide comment. I clenched my jaw as she came closer to me, the pure hatred I had for the woman practically palpable.

"How's my favourite freak?" she sneered at me.

"Still more sane than you are, Lillian," I shot back at her.

"Temper, temper," she tutted. I held back a scowl. "I'll need to talk to Tom about that, won't I?" I stiffened at the name, but didn't verbally respond. Lillian must have taken this as me backing down, and continued talking in that unbearably arrogant tone of hers. "We're moving again today. I expect you to be on your best behaviour." Again, I didn't respond.

Her face blank, Lillian signalled one of her men, who grabbed a black piece of material from where it lay discarded next to my cage, and tossed it over the cage. I scowled, though I knew she couldn't see me. She knew I hated that thing. I watched through a gap in the material as Lillian strutted away, talking to a few scientists before she exited the warehouse completely.

A few minutes passed with nothing extraordinary happening, but then sirens began to blare. These weren't the sirens of the doors opening. No. These were squealing, intolerable, intrusive. I clapped my hands over my ears as the room was flooded with red. Immediately, there was a panic amongst the scientists, and they were grabbing gear and shoving boxes into the emergency trucks that awaited near the entrance of the warehouse. Wait... emergency trucks? What was happening? My heart thudded in my chest, my breaths coming short and sharp. The fear in the room struck me like lightning, and I couldn't help but feel it seep into my skin. And then the white lights were cut off, leaving the room dark with flashes of red. People were yelling, yelling, yelling. I shrank back into the bars of the cage in fear. I heard engines roar to life, and before I even knew what was happening, more people were flooding into the space. Unable to do anything but stare wide-eyed, I curled into a protective ball as the trucks' tires screamed. Gunshots rang in the air as the trucks disappeared through the now-open doors of the warehouse, letting in the grey, early morning light.

"Damn it," I heard a woman hiss from halfway across the now abandoned warehouse. Some boxes that had been deemed unimportant in the rush lay scattered or in piles around the warehouse. I was still partially hidden behind a pile of them, meaning I could only just see the woman. If I went to the other half of my small cage, she'd be completely out of view.

There were eleven people that I could count, all wearing black suits, and all facing the woman who had spoken.

The woman sighed, fingers pinching the bridge of her nose, "Clear the warehouse," she ordered firmly. The people around her moved in different directions, guns still aloft. Fear coiled around me like a snake. I backed away from the gap in the material trying to be as quiet as possible. For all I knew, these people were no better than Lillian. At least with Lillian, I knew what to expect.

"What did you find Vasquez?" the woman who had said 'damn' upon arriving asked. The woman - Danvers - appeared to have spotted something of interest. Against my better judgement, I leant forwards to view the scene. 

"Continue trying to find anything useful. We'll get back to this later."

My muscles tensed as Danvers sent Vasquez away, only to come towards me herself. In my haste to distance myself from the woman, the cage bars racked against each other. I froze as Danvers' eyes found the source of the sound and began moving purposely towards me. I couldn't breathe as a tentative hand pulled back the cover over my cage. 

My body trembled as I looked up into the deep brown eyes of the woman. Shock showed on her face, but she soon regained her composure and knelt down next to me, her features softening. I still shook, cold sweat beading on my forehead. 

"Hey sweetheart, what's your name?" she asked softly. I flinched as if she'd delivered me a blow, but didn't answer. The woman bit her lip indecisively. Then, she moved to fiddle with the lock on the cage, soon opening it, and by extension, the door. 

I couldn't move. Surely this had to be a trap. The woman rose slowly and backed away from the cage. Slowly, hesitantly, I shuffled towards the door, waiting for some reprimanding, some blow, anything, really. None came, and soon I was out of the door, still with fear. I slowly tried to stand, but my legs shook and collapsed under me. I fell onto my side with a small gasp of pain. A warm hand touched my arm and I flinched away. The woman crouched next to me. I slid away from her hurriedly, and tried to stand again. This time I was successful, if only because I used the cage to prop me up. I eyed the woman with mistrust. 

In her hand were two pins. That must have been how she'd unlocked my cage. She stepped forwards slowly, causing me to shrink into the wall behind me.

"Easy," she said, voice soothing and calm. "I just want to help."

I felt my body shaking. I couldn't trust this woman. How could I?

"I can get those restraints off for you, but I can't do that from here," she said softly. 

I couldn't breath. I stood stock still, waiting for something to happen, someone to hurt me. She moved forwards slowly, slowly. I couldn't move further back, but a part of me didn't want to. _She seems ni- no. You can't think like that. No._

A whimper of fear escaped my lips as she reached towards my wrists. She grasped my cuffs, albeit gently, and after some fiddling with the lock, they fell open with a resounding click. I groaned in relief as strength flooded through me. I looked up and caught the red-head's gaze before quickly looking away.

"You'll feel even better outside," the woman said simply before backing away with a hand motioning for me to follow.

I did so reluctantly, and was not disappointed when I stepped outside. I hadn't been out of that wretched warehouse for what must have been over two months, assuming the scientists came every day. As we exited the rising sun was lighting the gray concrete blood-red. I looked up at the sky, breathing in the fresh air, enjoying the lack of restraints. Tears pricked my eyes. I wasn't sure if I was safe yet, but I was sure that it couldn't have gotten much worse than what I'd had before. Warmth settled on my - albeit dirty - skin, and I could already feel my body absorbing the sun rays.

"Come on. We're headed back to the DEO."

I gave her a confused look. I wasn't going anywhere with them. I had to- oh Rao, I had to find Kal and Kara. Did they even make it? Were they dead? Was it my fault? Oh Rao, no. Please, no. I shook my head.

"You've got to come back with us," she said gently, reaching for my wrist. I yanked my arm away.

"I'm not going anywhere with you," I hissed. 

"You're hurt and you have nowhere to go. Now come on."

She reached for my arm, but I shoved her away. "Stay away from me!" The woman flew back and hit the ground with a solid thud, but that was all I saw, because the next moment I felt an all-too-familiar searing pain in the back of my neck, a fire that spread through my veins, and I blacked out. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually have no idea what I'm doing for this story. I literally have no plan, sooooo any prompts? *cue awkward laughter* I shouldn't be writing at this hour, but like... IDEK what I'm doing with my life anymore.

The first thing I was aware of when I regained consciousness was that I was so fucking sore. My neck ached, and my back ached, and I had a fucking throbbing headache. The second thing that I became aware of - before I even opened my eyes - was that the lighting seemed off. I opened my eyes and squinted as I adjusted to the brightness. The third thing I noticed with a shock, was that I wasn't where I normally was after being shot with a kryptonite dart.

I sat bolt upright and looked frantically around the room I was being kept in. It was split in two, divided by a glass wall. By no surprise, I was in the section away from the door. One wall of the cell I was in was made of a glass-like substance with a door, and the other three walls were white. I was lying on a metal bench against the back wall of the cell. Something didn't feel right. I looked down at my wrists and my brow furrowed when I noticed the lack of kryptonite restraints. Not that I was complaining, but those things hadn't been taken off me in years. My wrists were littered with scars and scratches from fighting the cuffs. Some hadn't healed, and were instead re-opened constantly. Those ones, I already knew, would not be pretty scars. Can't have everything, I guess.

I didn't know what to think of the situation I now found myself in. Out of one cell into another, albeit a nicer, larger one. I didn't feel as weak as I normally was in one of Lillian's cells. Maybe they were preparing me for another biopsy. I groaned internally. Didn't they have enough sample of my muscle, skin tissue, and- Rao, even bone marrow? I moved over to the far back-right corner of the cell and slid down to the floor, curled up in a ball with my forehead resting on my knees. The room was silent, and I wasn't sure whether I preferred it to the usual noise of guards and scientists bustling around the echoey warehouse. It felt almost eerie.

My head jerked up as I heard the door open and Danvers walked in. She was nursing a split lip now, probably a result of me shoving her back twenty or so feet. She walked tenderly, favouring her right side, and I felt a twinge of guilt. She carried a tray of food that she slid through a little slot in the bottom of my cell's door before she moved to my left and sat down just on the other side of the glass of my cell wall. I stayed still, tracking her movements closely. We were locked in a staring competition before she looked away.

"You should eat. I can't imagine you feel all that good after getting knocked out with a kryptonite dart."

I shifted uncomfortably, bringing my knees even closer to my chest. I'd never liked being in a cage, but by far, the worst part was feeling like some animal at a zoo to be gawked at.

"Do you work for Lillian?" I asked quietly. My voice shook with nerves, but I needed to know. I was expecting a simple yes or no, maybe some confusion, but I wasn't expecting the look of pure disgust that crossed the woman's face.

"No," she said as though trying to get rid of some bitter taste in her mouth. "I'm an agent for the Department of Extranormal Operations. We're the good guys." _Yeah_ , I thought, _the good guys that basically transferred me from one cell to another._

We descended into silence, and I slowly moved towards the food before dragging the tray towards myself and retreating to my corner to put distance between myself and the agent. The food on the tray was different to any other food I'd seen on Earth. The food Lillian gave me was always the same. Some greyish-brown sludge that tasted how I imagined wet concrete to taste, with probably the same texture. I picked up a small round green thing between my thumb and forefinger to inspect it.

"So how long were you with Cadmus for?"

"Cadmus?" I asked, looking away from the peculiar food item in my hand. The word sounded familiar somehow.

"Lillian is head of Cadmus. It's the organisation that took you."

"I- I don't know," I said softly, biting my lip. "I- I think I got here in 2018?"

"Two years." The agent looked shocked at this revelation, but I just shrugged and put the little green thing in my mouth cautiously, curious as to how it tasted. It didn't taste bad, so I tried a few of the other foods on the plate. "And you came from Krypton?" I nodded.

Neither of us said a word until she decided to break the silence, "I should get back to work. I'll be back in a couple of hours, okay?"

"Would anything change if I wasn't?" I muttered as the agent left the room.

* * *

True to her word, Agent Danvers was back with another tray of food at what I guessed was a couple hours later. I really had no way of telling what time it was. There was no natural sunlight, and definitely no clock in the room. What confused me was the fact that she wasn't just carrying my tray of food, but one other. I looked at the second tray curiously, wondering why the agent had brought it.

"I figured I could eat with you, if you want," she shrugged. "A girl's gotta eat and my sister's out of town on sister night, so I was free."

"You have a sister?" I asked.

"Yep," she replied.

We fell into a sort of routine over the next week. Danvers would eat with me at lunch and occasionally at dinner, and sometimes breakfast too. She'd tell me about Earth, what's going on outside the cell. I was beginning to enjoy her company and each visit brought a stronger sense of companionship to me. I didn't know what to think about it. Was she trustworthy or not? Why is she being nice to me?

It had been eight days since I'd arrived at the DEO and Danvers entered the room. This time, however, as well as my tray and hers, she was also balancing a box in her other hand. She slid the tray through and I moved towards it, I dragged the tray back to my corner as per usual as she opened the door enough to slip the box into my cell before closing it again and sitting down the same place as she always did.

"What's in the box?" I asked, slightly intrigued.

"It's chalk."

My brow furrowed. "What for?" I asked, suspicious.

"Well, by protocol there's not much I can give you when, for all intents and purposes, you're a prisoner, but there's not much you can do with chalk. I figured it would give you something to do."

"Why?"

"Why what?" Danvers asked back.

"Why give me something to do?" I looked down at my hands and fiddled with the hem of my shirt. I'd been given a new set of clothes and had been allowed to shower in the room connected to the locker room, which is better than what Lillian's guards would do. They'd just throw a bucket of water on me if I was lucky.

"You didn't really do anything to deserve to be in there, so until they let you out, I may as well do what I can."

That's how I found myself chalking the walls a couple hours later. Danvers didn't seem so bad. Unlike the people who used to guard me at Cadmus, she didn't hurt me, or spit on me, or call me names. Maybe she did want to help after all. I don't know. I've been guessing for the past two years and the only thing I'd learnt is that humans were messed up. And now Danvers was messing with that conclusion. Dammit.

I used blues and whites to colour the image that had replayed in my mind far too many times - I drew Krypton exploding. I drew the masses of land flying into space, I drew the clouds of dust left behind, I drew the shockwave that was the reason I could protect Kara, couldn't protect Kal. I drew them too, my last memories of them. Kal was a baby, so he wasn't crying, he wasn't scared, confused, angry, but Kara... Kara was. There was only so much I could capture with chalk, but I tried, I tried. Because all those years in the phantom zone, at Cadmus, my biggest fear was that I'd forget. Forget how her smile would light up the room, how she was so purely innocent, how she was this beacon of hope, how she would love anyone she came across and, whether they wanted to or not, they'd love her too. I tried to draw that too, underneath the fear, the sadness, the pain.

I drew my mother, my father, my aunt. Rao, I loved Astra, even when she went against the law and was sent to Fort Rozz. We were kindred spirits. I drew Jor'El and Nim'El together, brothers, and I drew Don'El, Nim'El's son. I drew my friends and my teachers, I drew the old members of the science guild that Kara was supposed to become the youngest member of. I drew the council and anyone else I could remember. Soon the walls were full, no space for anyone - anything - else.

My hand shook. No, my entire body shook. Tears welled up in my eyes and I just cried. I cried for my family, I cried for my friends, I cried for my world, I cried for everything. I let myself go. I broke down, because I'd been holding it in too long. I stood in a flash, hand poised, ready to wipe the chalk that formed my sister's face off the wall, off my cell, off my mind. But then I couldn't. I couldn't do it. So I left it. I crumbled to meet the floor, curling in on myself as sobs racked my form.

When I'd regained control of myself, when I'd pushed the emotions back into that little box I kept in the back of my mind, I ignored my drawing. Logic. That would keep me sane. My mind went back to Cadmus. The second week I'd been a prisoner I'd met Lex Luthor. He'd been interested in me, so of course he came to watch a biopsy. We'd gotten to talking before that. I didn't mind him at first. I knew it was fake, but he'd been almost kind to me. He'd taught me chess when he'd found me running my fingers over the wire bars of my cage, unable to sleep yet bored beyond measure. He'd introduced me to the game and I'd picked it up. Fast, may I add.

He seemed shocked the first time he realised I had him beaten. I didn't have him in checkmate, but in six moves it would be, no matter what he did. That was my first win against him, and after that he'd visit me weekly. The third time was the first time he'd gotten angry at me. He'd seemed off from the moment he'd come in, but I'd thought nothing of it. He was always pretending, I knew. I'd beaten him and he'd gone ballistic on me. I still had that scar.

I drew a chalk chessboard and played in my mind. I'd done that to keep me sane at Cadmus, surely it would work now too. I played a Scotch game, breaking open the centre with white. I knew that white would most likely win - black would be unable to keep e5 and white would have a space advantage. I played it out regardless before starting anew. I fell asleep that way, though that was nothing new. Mark of a lonely life right there; falling asleep playing one-man chess.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ima rant here because where else would I rant? Friends? Pfft, what are those? Anyways, did anyone else have a fucking mental breakdown when sanvers broke up? Because I did. Like, a lot. I mean, seriously. 
> 
> a)in the comics Maggie has a kid.  
> b)what about Gertrude? Like that's the worst name for a dog but it's just so Alex.  
> c)Maggie deserved a better storyline. Like she literally just disappears, leaving me like Noooooo Maggieeeeee.  
> d)yes I am literally going through the whole alphabet.  
> e)they were totally, truly in love and I just don't see that chemistry with Alex and Kelly.  
> f)I just don't like Kelly all that much. I can't see her and Alex working bc Alex would constantly feel like she's being psychoanalysed and shit.  
> g)Maggie was like, THE most supportive character in the series, and not just to Alex.  
> h)Maggie helped Alex come out, and even if that doesn't keep them together, Maggie shouldn't have just disappeared.  
> i)they could both terrify Winn! I mean, can anyone see Kelly messing with Winn like that? NUP. 'Leave before I throw you into holding for fun' and 'I know six different very painful ways to get you to tell me who Guardian is with my index finger'. Like c'mon.  
> j)'I'm a detective, Agent Danvers. I detect.' NEED I SAY MORE.  
> k)they're always in sync. Like in that episode where they just finish each other's sentences and Kara's all like 'ooookay'.  
> l)They're partners in action! They're like the dream team!  
> m)'Gee, I didn't think you cared' and 'you gettin soft on me Danvers?'  
> n)They worry about each other 'you weren't returning my texts or calls. I was worried.'  
> o)Even before they're together, Alex goes looking for maggie. 'hey, have you seen-' 'where's Maggie?'  
> p)Maggie won't run away the moment there's conflict *beats alien over the head with a metal pole* 'You guys are fun'  
> q)even before they're a thing they hangout and drink  
> r)they're competitive and it's cute! 'at the rate you play, we'll be here for hours'  
> s)Alex tries to cheer Maggie up after she was dumped, even though it must've been super awkward  
> t)that dead look in Alex's eyes when Maggie kisses her girlfriend before Alex and Maggie get together 😫  
> u)they have similar tastes 'nice, I've got a *some motorbike name I can't remember* at home myself'  
> v)(Alex: she dumped YOU?!) Like come on, This is before they're dating people.  
> w)they constantly support each other. 'I think you're a great cop'  
> x)they understand each other's work bc they go through it themselves and they know how shit some days can be  
> y)Alex thinks and talks about Maggie at work WITHOUT reason.  
> z)Alex has cute rambles when she's nervous 'you do too with the shoes, and the... hair.'
> 
> I'm not even joking; I cried more about Sanvers breaking up than my parent's divorce. I kid you not. I made it through a whole fucking alphabet and I could do another with reasons why they deserve to be endgame. Sorry to y'all Kelly/Danvers fans. I'm a Sanvers person through and through.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone. How are y'all? How's school/work/other going? *welcome to me being rlly socially awkward bc I don't know what else to put in these notes but like, I also don't wanna not have notes, y'know? Anywayyyy hope you enjoy this chapter I don't rlly know what I'm doing so pls be nice.

The next morning I awoke to the sound of a door being opened. I sat bolt upright in panic before I recognised Danver in my sleep-hazed state. I rubbed my eyes and yawned, stretching my limbs before looking back to the agent.

"You good Alex?" I asked. She was stock still, but I could hear her heart beating at lightspeed. She wasn't staring at me. No, instead she was staring at something behind me. I turned and felt a stab of pain in my heart as I realised she was looking at my drawings of my people. 

"They were people from Krypton. Family, friends, teachers, peers," I sighed. Alex seemed to break of her daze with an unidentifiable expression. 

"I," she cleared her throat, "I got clearance from the Director to take you out of this room, if you want. I mean, we won't be able to leave the DEO, but..." I was already nodding.

"Yeah. Rao, I'm so cooped up in here. And that's coming from a person who was kept in a literal dog kennel for the better part of two years." I grinned to lighten the mood as the door swung open. The agent's heartbeat, I noticed, was still pretty quick. "I'm not going to attack you again, you know."

The stiff agent relaxed slightly. "Yeah, I know. Come on." She moved away, gesturing for me to follow.

"Where are we going?"

"Call it a tour of the DEO," Alex said. We moved out of the room. When we'd left the more private space, I noticed a small change in the agent beside me. She moved more confidently, with an air of authority over those around her. Her movements were more deliberate and calculated, and she walked quickly. I took a couple jogging strides to catch up.

"Rao, you remind me of my aunt," I said as I did an awkward jump to keep up. Astra was always walking too quickly for me too. The agent chuckled and slowed her pace slightly so I could keep up more easily. 

"So out here is the lobby and where a lot of the techs work."

She led me out into an open space. The ceiling was high, held up by pillars spaced at regular intervals. Across the room was a staircase that led to a balcony. Sunlight streamed in from the large glass panes leading out to the balcony. There were several desks and computers to my left, and there were doorways and corridors around the entire room. Many agents strode around the place with purposeful strides. I moved closer to Alex, unsure of the new space, or rather, the people in it. Just because Alex was safe didn't mean they were. 

I felt an arm wrap around my shoulders and tensed slightly before allowing myself to relax into the contact. 

"You're alright," she said gently, "We don't have to stay here if you don't want to."

I shook my head, "No, it- it's fine. Just-" I cut myself off.

"Just what?" Alex asked patiently.

"Please don't leave me alone." Heat rushed to my face in embarrassment at this. "I'm sorry, I-" I began to pull away, but Alex was having none of it. She let me move away, but held my elbow gently.

"Astrid. Hey," I flinched as she reached towards my face. "Astrid," she tried again, this time gently tilting my chin so I looked at her. "I'm here, okay? I'm not going anywhere. I'm gonna be blunt here and say you've had a shit time with probably just about all of the humans you've interacted with so far, but that's not all of us. And I know that it's hard to see that now, but please just trust me?"

I nodded, pressing my lips together. 

"Do you want to go in, or just go someplace quieter?"

"Quieter," I said, barely above a whisper.

"Okay then," she guided me out of the room and down another maze of corridors. 

"Agent Danvers," I jumped as a male voice boomed through the hall and quickly sidled closer to Alex.

"J'onn. Hi. This is Astrid," she said. "Astrid meet my boss and the Director of the DEO."

I focused on the ground at the man's feet. It was always easier than making eye contact.

"J'onn's kind of a space-dad to our little strange, multi-planetary family."

"Space-dad?"

"I'm a green Martian," the man explained. My brow furrowed.

"I thought that... never mind."

"I'm the last green Martian," he corrected. I nodded in understanding. "Anyway, Agent Danvers, I was wondering if I could speak to you in the briefing room after you're done here."

"Of course, sir."

Alex finished me the rest of the DEO - at least the people-free parts, before taking me back to the cell room. "I'll see you in like an hour for dinner, yeah?"

"Sure."

* * *

_Alex POV:_

I strode into the briefing room after dropping off Astrid at her... god, I hated that Astrid was staying in a cell. The poor girl did nothing wrong, and it hurt me to see her so cooped up. She reminded me of Kara when she first arrived. She was scared, withdrawn, just like Kara had been at first. And her eyes were just so like Kara's. Actually she really looked like Kara. And Astra. Maybe a mix of both. Was that a Kryptonian thing? Similar appearances. Sure, she had brown hair whereas Kara had blonde, but her _eyes._ She drew like Kara too. When we were kids, Jeremiah saw Kara's sketches in her school books, and had gotten her some art supplies as a present. She'd drawn Krypton too, but she hid all her other drawings from me. I didn't care at first; I'd hated her, but then Kenny died and we became closer. Regardless of how close we are now, Kara still hasn't shared those drawings. She hasn't forgotten about them, that much I knew. One time when I was supposed to be away, I dropped into Kara's loft to see if she was home, but she wasn't. Her old, old sketchbook had been resting on the table, but Kara had heard me on one of her fly-bys and dropped in before dragging me out to Noonan's. I had asked her if she could see the sketchbook. Kara had said no. Blunt and direct, and so unusual for Kara. That's why I didn't go looking for it next time Kara wasn't around. I wasn't going to betray my sister like that, and if Kara really didn't want me to see the sketchbook, then I could live with that. 

I don't know why I felt so protective of Astrid the first time I saw her. I mean, I'd always wanted kids, but this felt different. I felt like I knew her already. Maybe because she so similar to Kara. They both fiddle when nervous, talk with their hands when they're excited about something, have that little crinkle between their eyes when they were confused-

"Alex," J'onn's voice broke me out of my thoughts.

"Oh, sorry J'onn."

"You're thinking about Astrid's predicament." I nodded. "That's actually what I wanted to talk to you about. I was wondering if you'd consider looking after her. It doesn't have to be anything permanent-"

"Of course," I found myself saying immediately.

"Are you sure? Remember, she is Kryptonian."

"I dealt with Kara, didn't I?"

J'onn stayed quiet for a moment before saying, "We'd need to install red sunlamps somewhere in the apartment, just in case she has some. sort of sensory overload while she's at home."

"Yeah, sure. She'll also need glasses like Kara's."

"I'll make the arrangements and we should be ready within the hour."

"You knew I'd say yes," I smirked.

"I'm psychic, Alex. Of course I knew you'd say yes."

I grinned at him with a roll of my eyes. Space-dads were amazing. "Thanks, J'onn."

* * *

_Astrid POV:_

I sat with my back against the glass wall, staring at the chessboard. I pictured the pieces, knight takes bishop on b3, pawn takes knight. I heard the door behind me open and I frowned. Danvers wasn't meant to be here for another half-hour at least.

"You're back ear-" I cut myself of as I turned, seeing not Alex, but two men enter the room. Suddenly the lights changed. Where they'd previously been white, they took on a sickly green glow. A glow I knew all too well. I groaned as soreness and exhaustion made my limbs heavy and nearly unresponsive. I slumped down onto my side. My eyes widened as the men moved towards me.

"Lillian promised us a lot of money if we could get you back, you know," one man said. I felt the colour drain from my face and I tried to push myself away from them with weak arms. My hands slipped on the smooth floor as I scrambled, trying to find purchase. 

"Don't make this any harder for us than it has to be," the other man said, "We can make it a whole lot worse if you do." As if to accentuate his point, the kryptonite lights became more intense and I let out a whimper of pain, of fear. Tears were threatening to fall down my cheeks, but I couldn't let them. I couldn't show my weakness. No, I couldn't. 

"Stay away from me." I wish my voice was louder, braver, but it was quiet, broken, afraid. I heard Astra's voice in my mind _Be brave, Little One._ She would say that to me whenever I was frightened, when they took her away, when I burst into the trial room just before she was sent to Fort Rozz. _I can't be brave,_ I wanted to scream. I'd struggled against the guards who had tried to hold me then, as I saw my aunt go to prison with a flash of white light, and I struggled now. 

It would have had little effect on them, but it was the message that counted. I thrashed around as they pulled me to my feet. I drove my knee into one man's groin.

"Bitch," he spat at me. Pain shot through my face as his hand struck me. I guess humans have similar biology to Kryptonians then. A hand grabbed my hair and yanked on it. I gritted my teeth at the pain. 

"Alex!" I screamed. A hand clapped over my mouth and my arms were pinned to my sides. I hissed in pain as the kryptonite grew stronger yet again, and I slumped against my captor's hold, all my energy spent. Tears escaped down my face, as my as I willed them not to. My body shook. I couldn't go back. I couldn't go back. I was forced towards the door, but before we reached it, it opened and in walked Alex. 

The agent had her gun drawn in a second, and put a spare hand to turn on her earpiece. I felt cold metal prick the skin at the base of my neck and I stilled. 

"Don't move, or I'll slit her throat."

"Jackson, don't do this."

"Drop your weapon."

"Jackson-"

"I said drop it!" I felt the knife shaking slightly. I swallowed, feeling the blade cut my skin just a little. I took a sharp breath in at the pain, and felt warm blood drip down my neck. _It's only a scratch, it's only a scratch._ I had to remind myself to breath, to blink. I looked at Danvers. The woman was scared, torn. She was shaking, I saw now. Only slightly, but she was shaking. She was giving me a look.

_Take the shot._ I mouthed.

"Put it dow-" _Bang._ I heard a ear-splitting scream and the knife was dropped. It clattered to the floor and I stumble forwards with the sudden lack of support I only now realised I'd been relying on. _Bang._ Off went a second shot and there was another scream. I twisted to see the man who's held the knife to my throat adding pressure to a wound on his leg, the other man nursing a bullet-wound in the arm.

Alex took out her phone and the lights turned back to normal. I let out a breath of relief that I hadn't realised I'd been holding, and Alex dropped to the floor beside me, wrapping her arms around my body. I let out a sob, leaning into the embrace. 

"You're okay. I'm okay. It's gonna be fine," she said comfortingly. 

The door to the room banged open and I flinched violently. Alex held me steady.

"Agent Danvers, what the hell happened."

People flooded into the room and I curled my body closer to Alex, tightly gripping her shirt with white knuckles.

"J'onn," Alex said quietly. "Can I just get her out of here."

"I expect a full debrief later."

I don't remember much after that. Alex took me out of the room, into another, gave me some sort of medication and then everything went black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I kinda may or may not have written this when I rlly should have been doing the assessment that's due tomorrow and I haven't started yet. I usually won't post this much this quickly, but like... here we are.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone, so I actually have something of use in this chapter note. So, for the purposes of this fic, Astra doesn't die because Alex convinces her not to kill Hank because it would hurt Kara so much? Idk I can do a flashback if you want, but long story short, Astra's alive and works at the DEO but she's been away recently because she messed up on a mission and had a couple issues following orders so J'onn made her take a break in the Fortress of Solitude bc he thought it'd do her some good. Kara was up there for the week to keep her company, which is why Astrid hasn't yet seen either of them. 
> 
> Anywayyy this is a shorter chapter, but it just felt like it should end where it did, sorry not sorry.

My limbs were heavy with tiredness, and I didn't want to wake up, not really. I was warm, I was comfortable, I was lying on something _soft._ Haven't done that since Krypton. It was then that the events of the day caught up to me and my eyes were snapping open. I sat up, blanket falling off my body and onto the floor as I stood. My eyes darted around the unknown space. I'd been lying on a couch, facing a television. Right in front of me was a coffee table that came to just below my knees. It stood on a soft rug, that I now realised I could feel. My feet were bare. That was new too. Sure, I'd had bare feet at Lillian's because I'd grown out of my old shoes, but the DEO had given me a pair of sneakers. I shook my head free of the unimportant thought. To my left was a kitchen area with a counter with stools separating me from the rest of the kitchen. Behind me I saw a dining table and chairs. Where was I? To my right was a raised platform with a bed, on either side of which were bedside tables with lamps casting a warm glow over a figure reading a book. Alex.

"Alex?"

My heartbeat slowed, and I calmed as the woman looked up at the sound of her name. Seeing me standing and still visibly concerned, she placed her book on the bed and got up slowly.

"You're alright Astrid, you're in my apartment," she said calmly.

"Your- I'm not at the DEO anymore?" Why was I here? Not that I was complaining, this place was a million times better than the DEO, and it felt so good to sleep on a soft surface again, but why was I here? Didn't they think I was a danger to the people around me or something? Sure, humans are so fragile I'm surprised they ever make it out of infancy, but I understood their point of view. 

"They had no reason to keep you there," she shrugged, "But seeing as you're underage they needed someone to take care of you. I offered."

A smile quirked at the corner of my lips. "Really?"

"I told you I wasn't going anywhere," she assured me. I smiled and moved forwards, embracing her. She hugged me back before we pulled away from each other.

"Thank you," I said gratefully. I honestly don't know what I would've done if I'd had to be put in foster care. We'd had a similar system on Krypton, and I don't think I would've been a huge fan of moving houses so often and having to meet new people with new rules and routines and schools and... I had to stop doing that; thinking about the things that didn't happen. I had a habit of doing that, even before Krypton had died. Maybe that's just the way my mind worked.

"Of course. Let's order pizza and I'll put a movie on."

I sat back down on the couch as Alex ordered the pizza, whatever that is. I remember reading about it back on Krypton as a part of my interplanetary studies classes, but I just couldn't remember what it was. Alex sat down on the sofa and grabbed the remote to turn on the tv. She was about to press the 'on' button, but paused. "Hey, um..." I heard her heart start to pick up speed and furrowed my brow.

"What's wrong, Alex?" I asked, looking at the usually-fearless woman.

"I just... I need to tell you something before you find out the wrong way."

Now I felt my heart begin to speed up as well. I sat up straighter and turned my body towards the nervous woman.

"You know Kara Zor'El, right?"

Forget speeding, my heart stopped. I clenched my jaw slightly and pinched the skin of the back of my hand between my fingers. "How-," I took a deep breath to try and stop my voice from trembling. "How do you know that... that name?"

Now it was Alex's turn to take a deep breath. "Kara came to Earth when she was thirteen." I wanted to interrupt, but Alex held up a hand to tell me to let her finish. I bit my lip. "I know this because her cousin, Kal'El, took her to a family to be adopted so she could have a normal, _human_ childhood." I bit my lip harder. "Kal was older than Kara, because she was stuck in the phantom zone for twenty-four years." I wasn't even sure if I was breathing anymore. "Kara is my adopted sister, and has been for eleven years." I froze. I couldn't move, I couldn't speak, I couldn't even think. "I- I know I should've told you sooner, but I didn't even know you knew her and then I saw you drawings, and then all that stuff happened and-"

"Alex," I put a stop to the woman's rambling, "Can I- can I just see her? Please?"

"Yeah, yeah of course." With that, Alex moved her hand to her watch, moved the screen and revealed the coat of arms of the House of El. Tears sprung up in my eyes. Rao, not again. I was turning into a crybaby. She pressed the button and it emitted this high-pitched beeping. I eyed it distastefully, but said nothing. If it meant Kara would come, so be it. 

Not even a second passed before a blue and red blur shot through the window, and before me stood someone I knew all too well. She'd grown up. A lot. But her hair was still blonde, and her eyes were still blue, and Rao, I would never _never_ forget her eyes. Her eyes landed on me and I held my breath.

"Astrid?" she breathed.

"It's you," my voice broke mid-sentence. "You're alive." I shot forwards into her arms and clung to her. She gripped me tightly, as if letting go would mean I'd disappear again. That's what I was afraid of; that this was one of Lillian's messed up mind games, that this wasn't real, that I'd wake up and still be in that grimy little cage with nothing, no one. "Rao, you're alive." When we finally let each other go, I cupped her face in my hands. "Rao, you're all grown up," she sniffed, tears staining her cheeks. She beamed at me, and I could imagine I was beaming right back at her. "Thirty-three years. I've fucking missed you." I hugged her again.

"Mother would scold you endlessly if she heard you speaking like that," Kara joked, though there was a sad edge to it.

"That's okay," I said with a small smile, voice muffled by her red cape, "Astra would praise me the moment she's gone." Kara laughed at this, and I pulled back fingering the cape material. "Is this Kal's blanket?"

"Yep."

"So what's with," I gestured to her whole body, "all that?"

She laughed, "What do you mean?"

"You look like the primary colours threw up on you."

"Don't tell Winn that," Alex butted in before realising I didn't know a Winn, "You'll meet him later. He designed the suit."

"You kept the crest," I said quietly, tracing my fingers over it's lines, "El Mayarah."

"Stronger together," Kara finished.

"So how is it you two know each other, exactly?" Alex asked.

"Kara's my... are you my older sister now?"

"Yep," she replied, popping the 'p'.

"No!" I exclaimed, "Rao help me!"

"You two are sisters? That... that actually explains a lot."

"Like what?" we asked simultaneously before breaking out in laughter. Alex didn't even need to answer.

"I'll order potstickers and we'll watch a movie," Kara suggested. 

"Great. What do you wanna watch?"

"She _needs_ to watch Harry Potter," Kara demanded.

"God Kara, please don't make me watch that _again,_ " Alex complained.

"Too late, you don't have a choice."

I smiled at their antics. Yes, I could definitely get used to this.

The food hadn't even been in the apartment for two seconds before Kara was in front of me with a box of food. "Potstickers," she said, "They're the best food in the universe, and that's coming from someone who's been to twelve different planets."

"I'll be the judge of that," I said, "I've been to fifteen." I poked my tongue out at her childishly, finally starting to be myself again after all those years. I picked up one of the potstickers and shoved it in my mouth.

"You've been to fourteen," Kara argued with a pout. "One before I was old enough to travel, and that one time with father to Thanagar for the Nth metal shipment. I was supposed to go but got a cold."

"Nup," I said around the - admittedly delicious - food in my mouth, "Astra snuck me off to Naltor when I was thirteen for like, four days."

"What? That's not fair."

I shrugged. "I'm her favourite niece."

"As much as I'd _love_ to listen to you two argue over who's been to how many planets, if we wait any longer, it'll be tomorrow before the movie ends."

We settled on the couch, my body snuggled between Alex's and Kara's. I sighed contentedly as the movie began. I could get used to this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finally finished my Spanish assessment and I'm totally ready to fail. Y'all didn't rlly need to know that, but I have no friends so you lot are gonna hear a lot of my rants about really random shit. Baiii have a nice day/night/morning/evening/afternoon/whatevertimeitisforyou.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't rlly know what I'm doing with this tbh. I'm kinda just winging it, so timings and stuff will definitely be funky. I'll respond to any queries about random stuff if you comment, or at least I'll try my best to do so. Prompts are still appreciated 😊. Enjoy (or don't, I can't control how you feel about my writing).

_Everything hurt. I was staring up at a harsh bright light, strapped to a metal table with kryptonite cuffs._ No. _I couldn't be back here. Not again. I tried to sit up, but a thick strap of leather was wrapped around my head and chest, preventing me from doing so. Similar straps held me down at my waist and ankles too. My breathing quickened as I fought, even though the kryptonite was making me weaker and weaker by the second. My eyes flew wide as I heard the all too familiar sound of high heels clicking against concrete, the sound splitting the too-silent air of the warehouse like thunder. I struggled frantically, trying to find any sort of give in any of the material holding me down. I let out a half-sigh, half-whimper as my struggles proved futile, unless the aim was to add pain to what I already felt._

 _"Aw, sweetheart." Lillian's face loomed over mine and I shrunk away from her as much as I could, "Did you think that was real? Your family is_ dead. _Your friends are_ dead. _No one loves you," she laughed with sickening sweetness before her face morphed into a sneer. "You should have died with your planet, with your dear sister Kara." Above me, a screen appeared, and on it showed the dead remains of Kara, of Astra, my mother and father-_

_I shook my head frantically, tears stinging my eyes. "Stop it!" I screamed at her. Hot pain flashed across my face as the woman struck me. I cried out in pain. She grabbed my face, nails digging into my skin. I whined softly in pain. Why did she have to do this to me? Why play these mind games._

_"Because you need to learn," she said softly, "that you will never escape me."_

I awoke screaming, tears pouring down my face. My throat was sore, and cold sweat coated my body.

"Astrid," I heard Kara say. My head snapped around to look at my sister, who I'd fallen asleep next to on the couch. I let out a mangled sob as I hugged my knees to my chest, hiding my face.

"Stop it Lillian!" I screamed. I wanted it to end. Why did it have to feel so real?

"Astrid," I felt gentle fingers prying my hands from my legs. "This is real. You're in Alex's apartment with me."

I looked up and shook my head, tears blurring my vision. "Stop it," I whispered brokenly. "This isn't real. You're dead." My voice broke.

"Astrid, I'm alive. So is Astra, and Kal. This is real. Remember? We were watching Harry Potter, and eating potstickers and arguing over how many planets you've been to." I made eye contact with her, searching for any lies, any betrayals, but Lillian would never be able to recreate the kindness, the compassion in Kara's eyes right now. I let myself crumble into my sister's open arms and just sob. 

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," I muttered.

"Hey, no," she said softly, stroking my hair, "It's okay. You're okay. Alex will come back from the store any minute, and I'm right here. It's all okay now."

"I'm scared Kara. I don't want this to be fake."

"It's not," she reassured me. "I promise you this is real." I nodded against her chest, eyes squeezed tightly shut. "Take some deep breaths with me, okay?" she breathed in deeply, and I followed suit. One shuddering breath in, one shaky breath out. One over exaggerated breath in, one trembling breath out. I slowly evened out my breathing and my white-knuckled grip on Kara's borrowed sweatshirt of Alex's slowly loosened.

I laughed half-heartedly. "I used to be the one calming you down from nightmares. When Astra and mother started fighting."

"Well we've established that you're the little sister now."

"But you're Alex's adopted sister, so technically we're both the little sisters now."

"Shut up," she grumbled, placing her chin on my head. I heard echoey footsteps and a familiar heartbeat. Alex was coming back up the stairs. 

"Kar?"

"Mm?

"Can we not tell Alex about this? I don't want her to worry."

Kara was quiet for a moment before replying, "Of course. It's your information to tell, not mine."

"Thanks," I said, leaning back into her arms as the door clicked open.

I got up and headed over to Alex to help her with the numerous shopping bags she was carrying. 

"I figured Kara would be staying over a couple nights this week since you're here, so I bought some extra groceries," she explained as Kara and I eyed the three full bags of food. "Besides, I usually get food at the DEO, so..."

Kara looked through the bags contents, ever the food-lover, and her face lit up when she saw blueberries and pancake batter, stating that I just _had_ to have the famous Danvers' pancakes. I agreed with a laugh, and helped Alex unload the contents of the bags and put the various items of food away as Kara bustled around making pancakes. We sat at the table ten minutes later, with several stacks of pancakes and what seemed like litres of blueberry syrup. 

We all talked about our plans for the week, and it was decided that I'd go to the DEO with Alex tomorrow so she could start getting me adjusted to new surroundings, especially with my super-senses. We'd decided that it would be easier in a place where we didn't have to worry so much about the cover-up in case I _did_ lose control. For the rest of today, as it was Sunday, Kara had the day off, so she figured we may as well start teaching me to use at least some of my powers. 

After we finished breakfast, Kara and I were ready to go train. Alex was going to check in with the DEO, so Kara picked me up, and shot out the window, faster than the human eye could track. We were in the middle of nowhere not even a second later. I did a 360, taking in the view. Desert surrounded us for miles, shrubs and the occasional weed the only life in sight.

"Okay," Kara said, clapping her hands together. I turned to face my sister to see her standing in that weird-ass pose with her hands on her hips in her Supergirl suit. I almost rolled my eyes at the sight. "First thing I learnt on Earth was flying. It's pretty easy. Just imagine it, and jump."

"O-okay." It sounded a little too easy, but the moment my feet left the ground, I shot into the air. Adrenaline spiked through my veins as I slowed to a stop what felt like almost a hundred yards above the dirt. I gaped at the ground, even as Kara drifted up to hover next to me.

"Pretty cool, right?"

"It's amazing. It's so scary, but like a good scary!" I gasped, jittery with excitement.

We spent a large portion of the day going through basic drills: turning, stopping, changing altitudes, etc. By the time my energy was totally and fully spent, the sun was low in the sky, casting a blood-red glow over the sand and shrubs. The clouds were so colourful at this time, I noticed. Tones of purple and pink highlight orange and gold. I sat on the sandy earth, soaking in the last rays of warmth the sun had to offer.

"That's the first sunset I've ever seen on Earth," I said out of the blue as Kara sat beside me.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?"

I nodded and hummed in agreement, resting my head on Kara's shoulder. We sat in comfortable silence, watching the sun set slowly, being overtaken by the darkening sky. When the sun had fully disappeared and the stars had appeared in the sky, Kara floated up to stand in midair.

"We should get back. Alex will be home soon."

"M'kay."

I floated up, just as Kara said, "Race ya!" She took off, and I grinned broadly, taking off after here, shouting 'no fair!'. I caught up to her as we shot over the outskirts of National city. I spotted Alex's apartment and shot towards it, missing Kara's smirk. I hurtled into Alex's apartment before crashing to the floor and rolled as impact hit my body. I laughed, and looked up to see Alex holding a glass and a bottle of wine, giving me a half-amused look.

"Still need to work on my landing, I guess," I said, still chuckling.

Alex rolled her eyes and put the wine and glass aside, "So what? I have two little sisters now?"

"Hey, I'm technically older than Kara is," I argued. 

"You were in hypersleep," the blonde replied, landing smoothly and walking towards me.

"Show off," I muttered, "And I still count that."

"Okay, on another point," Alex said, fishing around in her pocket for a moment, "I got you lead-lined glasses." I looked at the glasses curiously and slipped them on. It felt strange to have something on my face, but not uncomfortable.

"Thanks."

* * *

We arrived at the DEO the next day. Alex had borrowed Kara's car, since Alex's motorbike would probably be too much for me while I was still adjusting to my heightened senses. Alex had given me a pair of noise-cancelling headphones too and I'd connected them to her phone. For such a badass, Alex had a surprising amount of country music. 

We pulled into the parking lot at the DEO and got out of the car. I stayed close to Alex's side as we entered the building.

"Are you going to be okay going into the meeting room today? If not, I can see-"

"I'll be fine, Alex," I interrupted the rambling woman.

She took a breath, "Okay then. I'm not going anywhere."

"I know."

When we entered the main room, my muscles were coiled and I was ready to move. I forced myself to take a breath, my eyes darting around the room. I recognised a few faces from the raid as Alex lead me to where tvs covered the wall and desks and computers were scattered around. I had to admit, in comparison to Krypton, this stuff was... primitive to say the least. One man had action figure toys on his desk and was tapping away at. his keyboard playing what looked like some survival game.

"Astrid, meet Winn." The man jumped as he realised our presence and the quick movement had me behind Alex in an instant.

"Oh hi! You're- you're the Kryptonian girl right? You got here like a week ago." He looked at Alex, "Is it just me or does she look scarily like Astra?"

Alex put an arm around my shoulders, nudging me to her side. I didn't need to move - she's pretty weak in comparison to my superpowered self - but I did anyway. "That's another thing. She's actually Kara's sister." The man's eyes lit up.

"That's crazy! I mean, that's awesome, but it's crazy!" 

"Agent Schott," I jumped at the new voice and spun around to see J'onn J'onzz, the green martian. The man nodded at me formally and I avoided eye contact. "Agent Schott, have you gotten any closer to tracking the radiation signature on our alien's weaponry.

"One momennntt," Winn started tapping away at his computer before finishing the line of code with a dramatic flourish. "I just found our guy."

"Good job, Alex, get a tactical team ready."

Alex glanced at me. "I'll be fine, Alex," I said tightly. "Go do your job." 

"Okay," she said quietly. "I'll be back. This is just a routine mission." I nodded stiffly and made a shooing motion at her. She moved away to round up her team and I wrapped my arms around my body before walking out of the now-bustling room to a quieter area of the DEO. 

I was still wandering through the halls five minutes later when I wandered past an open door. Inside I saw a few pairs of agents training. They darted forwards and dodged blows, and the sight reminded me harshly of when Astra would train me with her soldiers. One woman who I faintly recognised from the warehouse wandered around the pairs barking orders and commands. _Vasquez,_ I thought, _that's her name._ As if suddenly noticing my presence, Vasquez spun on her heel to look at me in the hallway. I froze, like a deer in the headlights, or a child caught with their hand in the cookie-jar, or some other weird sayings humans used. 

I regained control over my limbs and hurried out of sight to continue wandering the halls that now seemed increasingly familiar. I recognised where I was as I saw a closed door, and tried the handle to see if it would open. The door swung open easily and I found myself in the doorway of my old cell. My drawings were still there, fresh as the day I'd created them, except now it didn't weigh on my heart to look at Kara as much, because now I knew she'd survived. I slowly moved towards the drawings, seeing the box of chalk, abandoned and kicked over in my struggles. I shuddered at the memory.

"Did you draw that?" I jumped as I heard someone speak behind me. I spun around to see Kara and relaxed.

"I- yeah."

"How- Astrid it's beautiful." 

I didn't know how to respond, so instead I said, "I was so afraid of forgetting."

"Come here," she said softly, opening her arms. I hugged her. This was real. It had to be. She let me go and walked over to the drawings. She reached out a hand towards our mother's face, stopping just before she touched it. She stood motionless, looking at person after person. "They're exactly how I remember." She moved around the cell slowly, taking in each drawing. In a sudden motion, she spun around to face me, jerking me out of the half-trance I'd been in, staring at the chalked wall. "You still need to see Astra! Kal's off-world, but Astra's back from her forced vacation."

"Forced vacation?"

Kara waved a hand dismissively, "Long story, now come on!" Her beaming was almost contagious, and I rolled my eyes at her giddiness. 

Faster than human eyes could track, she shot out of the room with not even a second's notice. "Kara!" I yelled before shooting after her. I caught up with her in a quarter of a second, but as we reached the lobby, she halted abruptly, causing me to barrel into her. 

"Astra!" 

"Little One," an amused voice said with a chuckle as I regained my balance, "What are you- Astrid?"

My head snapped up to see my aunt. My breath caught in my throat and my eyes filled with tears. "Astra." I sped to her, and found myself being clutched tightly.

"Kara had told me you were alive, but I somehow expected you to look... older." She looked me up and down.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm younger than Kara now. I get it," I muttered bitterly.

"HA! You admit it!"

I turned to face Kara, an Astra-worthy glare on my face. "I will melt your face off."

She stuck her tongue out at me, knowing my threats were empty.

"There you are," I heard Alex say as the agent walked into the room. She still wore her tactical gear. She took her helmet off as she approached. "Astra, I thought you were off-world with Clark."

"I was, however Kal-El met up with an old friend, so I returned early."

"You're not supposed to be allowed in here until Tuesday. You're still suspended."

Astra narrowed her eyes, and I felt the temperature in the room drop. The watching agents had stilled or left the room. I saw the muscles in Astra's jaw tick. Ah, so Alex was Astra's commanding officer. That would be something new and different. 

"I'll escort you back to the Fortress," Kara said quickly, grabbing Astra's arm and leading the ex-general away.

"I take it you two don't get along well?" I asked Alex.

"She's not used to being ordered around, that much is clear."

"Well she used to be a general," I pointed out, unsure if Alex knew this already. 

"She still needs to take orders. She almost killed a man last week because she didn't."

I bit my lip, not really wanting to continue the conversation any more. 

"Come on," Alex said, slinging an arm over my shoulders, "I'll show you some of our gadgets here. I think you'll like them."


	6. Chapter 6

Alex and I entered her apartment after arriving back from the DEO. It was just after nine, though we'd left the DEO to go to Kara's hours ago. We'd stayed there for a bit before heading back to the apartment. We entered the apartment and flicked the lights on. 

"So what do you feel like for dinner?" Alex asked me, opening the freezer and surveying the options.

"I don't know, I've only been eating actual food on this planet for like, two days."

"Good point," she muttered. "Ummm-" she was cut off at the sound of keys in the door. I stood quickly, the stool I was sitting on scraping the floor. Alex had her gun out in an instant and was aiming it at the door. The door swung open, and Alex looked ready to shoot, but when she recognised the woman, she put her gun away instantaneously. "Maggie," she breathed. "You're- you're back early."

The woman - Maggie - looked between the two of us, "Yeah... I, um, I turned down the job."

" _Babe,_ that job was a huge deal," Alex stressed, moving towards the woman, "I mean _captain."_

"I would've needed to be located in Central City. I didn't want to be away from you." She looked over Alex's shoulder at me, and I eyed her warily, taking in her attire, especially the gun on her hip accompanied by a taser, pepper spray and a baton. I knew the items wouldn't hurt me now, but I could still remember the pain when I'd been affected by kryptonite. That sort of pain was one I was willing to relive any time soon. "Who's that?"

"Mags, I meant to text you, but I didn't want to distract you before such a big interview and-"

"Al, it's alright."

Alex took a deep breath and turned to me, gesturing for me to come closer. I approached her tentatively, trying to gauge any reaction from the cop. I reached Alex's side and partially glued myself to her. The woman held out a hand and I flinched away, recoiling from the quick movement and expecting a flash of pain any moment. Alex's arm squeezed my shoulders reassuringly.

"Astrid, this is Detective Maggie Sawyer... my girlfriend." I looked between the two of them. I gave Maggie a mistrustful glance, but avoided eye contact. "Umm," Alex said awkwardly, "How about we go sit on the couch."

We took our seats in the living room, albeit I did so reluctantly. I curled up on an armchair, hugging a pillow.

"So, Alex," Maggie said as she shed her gear. "Care to tell me what happened while I was away?" I heard a note of bitterness in her voice and shifted in uncertainty as I waited for Alex to answer. 

"We raided the Cadmus warehouse we'd been tracking," the agent responded.

Alex continued talking, but my mind wandered. She was sitting close - very close - to Maggie, who had her arm around the agent's lower back. I saw how Alex leaned into Maggie slightly. I frowned a little. What was I supposed to do now? I had nowhere else to go. Maybe I could stay with Kara? What was I supposed to do during the day though? Kara has a job - well, two technically. And from what Alex told me, Astra's already staying with her when she's not at the Fortress. 

"Astrid," Alex's voice snapped me out of the loop my mind was racing on and my eyes widened as I realised I had no idea what she'd said, or asked. Did she ask me something? My heart sped up. "Astrid, take a breath. You're alright." The agent was moving, but so was I.

"I'm sorry. I don't wanna intrude or anything so I can go and stay with Kara for the night or something. I mean-," I continued rambling as I moved towards the door, "-and I get that you have a life and everything so I can just-"

"Astrid," Alex interrupted me, planting her body between me and the door, she chuckled a little, trying to ease me, "I wasn't asking you to leave or anything."

"I just thought that..." I trailed off, not exactly sure how to explain my train of thought.

"Maggie means the world to me, Astrid, but so does family. You're family now."

I nodded slowly, still skeptical. 

Alex's phone rung, interrupting the moment. She gave me an apologetic look as she picked up, "Danvers. Yep. Nooo. Yes. Yes, of course." She hung up. "Hey, I'm so sorry, but I've gotta go. Rogue alien attack at the DEO."

A part of me wanted to argue, but a bigger part of me knew how seriously Alex took her job, so I stood aside and let her grab her gun and jacket from the sideboard before heading out the door, yelling 'I'll be back in an hour' over her shoulder. The door shut with a snap, but my eyes were already on the detective who, in return, was watching me. I didn't want to be here - trapped in a room with a stranger - but I didn't have any other choice. I sure as hell wasn't intending on going out on the streets at this hour with uncontrollable powers.

"I don't bite, you know," the detective said with a slight grin as she picked up the tv remote and switched the television on. I shifted my weight from foot to foot indecisively for a moment before going to sit down as well. I took the seat as far from the detective as I could go and brought my knees to my chest. 

For the next ten minutes, the detective was watching some show on the tv, whilst I was watching her out of the corner of my eye.

"So how exactly did you come to be living with Alex?" I jumped slightly as the detective's voice broke the tension in the air. 

"I -um - I was at Cadmus when she-Alex and her team raided the- the warehouse," I said hesitantly. 

The woman seemed to somehow sense my nerves and asked, "Do you want to do something?" she got to her feet slowly and I tensed, only for her to move to the cupboards under the tv. "We have a few games." She opened the cupboard, revealing a multitude of coloured boxes. "Game of Life, Twister - though that would be easier with Alex here -, um..." I found my eyes drawn to the chessboard. It was pushed to the back right wall, barely visible, but I saw it.

"Chess?" I asked quietly. 

"You play?" she asked, looking back at me.

I nodded. "Lex taught me." I pushed the memories, the fear, to the back of my mind. The detective's eyes shone with curiosity, but she just pursed her lips and retrieved the board. 

"This was my cousin's chessboard. When I moved in with them when I was fourteen, he nagged me about playing until I spat out that I didn't know how. He made it his mission to teach me, so when I went away to uni, he gave me the board as a sort of momento." 

She set it down on the coffee table, sitting on the sofa. I uncurled myself and maneuvered onto the floor with my back to the tv so I was sitting opposite her. We began setting up the pieces and I asked, "Why were you living with your cousin? I didn't think that was common here."

"My parents kicked me out," her tone sounded deflated. She smiled, but I could see pain in her eyes. 

"Why?"

"I'm gay," she shrugged, but I could tell it meant a lot to her.

I paused before replying. "I don't like humans."

The detective laughed at this, and I looked at her, confused. I wasn't joking - why was she laughing? "Wait, are you being serious?"

"I-," I stopped myself, not wanting to offend the woman.

"Hey, no. Keep going." 

"I just- they seem to be very good at getting rid of what they don't understand." I shrugged. "Your parents kick you out because you loved someone, I was kidnapped and experimented on because I'm not from here." I was white, so I moved my pawn to E4.

"People - humans - are afraid of what they don't understand, I suppose," Maggie agreed, moving a pawn. "What planet are you from?"

"Krypton."

"So do you know about Kara?"

I moved my bishop to C4. "She's my sister. I doubt she'd be able to keep anything from me."

"Shit," Maggie moved her knight. I would've scoffed aloud at her play, but kept it to myself. This was going to be a quick game. I moved my queen to H5 and she moved her other knight. I took her pawn.

"Checkmate."

"Wait. That- that was a short game. "Scholar's checkmate," I shrugged. "Also known as the four-move checkmate. It's the quickest way to checkmate. You shouldn't move that pawn so early in the game. It opens your king up for an attack."

We set the board up again and began playing. The detective was a better player than her first game showed. Maybe she'd just been distracted or something. We didn't talk much - it was more of a comfortable silence - and I was alright with that. I began to get tired at around eleven, exhausted from the long day. I didn't tell the detective; I didn't want to feel vulnerable by telling her this fact. It seemed, however, that the woman was good at her job, because as I checkmated her again, she asked:

"You're tired, aren't you?" I looked up from the chessboard to meet her gaze. It was warm and gentle, a look I didn't know humans could have until I'd met Alex. I looked away, still unused to eye contact with people. Lillian's guards would punish me for the smallest things - asking for things, making eye contact, not responding, responding at the wrong time. I breathed out slowly, trying not to relive the memories. I didn't need that right now. The detective pulled the chess board towards her slowly and began packing away as she spoke. "You don't have to be strong all the time, you know. It's alright to need things. Kryptonian or not, sleep is fundamental." She moved to put the chessboard away, leaving me kneeling on the floor. She came back over and sat down on the couch again. "Come on."

My brows furrowed, and she gestured for me to come sit beside her. I rose and sat down next to her slowly, hesitantly. My back was stiff, my muscles coiled, unused to being in such close proximity to a human who wasn't Alex. I clasped my hands together in my lap. The detective folded her legs underneath her body as she reached for the remote and turned the television on. I shrunk back into the couch as the detective reached over me to grab a blanket and drag it over us. 

The television played, still on the same show as earlier. I relaxed a little after a couple minutes of nothing happening, too tired to remain so stiff. I couldn't exactly pinpoint the moment when I began to feel safe around the detective. Maybe my exhaustion had just finally overtaken my fear. I pulled my knees to my chest and yawned, checking my watch and discovering it was one in the morning. This somehow made me feel even more tired. I felt an arm wrap around my shoulders and I leant into the detective slightly, too tired to move away. I fell asleep moments later.


	7. Chapter 7

_Alex's POV:_

It was three in the morning when I got back from my mission. I felt terrible for leaving Astrid home alone with Maggie. I knew that Maggie wouldn't hurt her - of course she wouldn't - but the look on Astrid's face as I'd left, however much she tried to hide it, was one of fear. Suffice to say, when I opened the door slowly and quietly to see Astrid asleep, leaning against Maggie with a blanket pulled right up to her shoulders, I was more than surprised. 

Despite looking half-dead by this time, Maggie was still awake, if only just. She looked to me tiredly and smiled. _God I love those dimples._ She mouthed a 'hey babe', glancing towards Astrid with a telling expression. I smiled and moved over to them. I knelt down next to the sofa and placed a hand on Maggie's knee to steady myself. 

"Astrid," I said quietly. I tapped her foot gently, knowing she tended to get spooked when being woken up. As expected, when she woke up, she was immediately wide awake. Confused eyes darted to Maggie and she jumped away bumbling apologies until I interrupted her. "Easy Astrid. You're alright." I touched her arm gently and she flinched away before she recognised me and relaxed a little, gaze flitting to Maggie for a moment.

"I'll go get ready for bed," Maggie said softly, moving towards the bedroom.

* * *

_Astrid's POV:_

Over the next couple of weeks we slowly found a routine. The three of us would get up at six-thirty for breakfast and I'd go to the DEO with Alex at quarter past seven. Alex would train me there until eleven, and then she'd go work for a bit and at half past eleven, Kara would usually come down to see me. Sometimes we'd train or spar, and sometimes we'd just talk. Astra started coming back to the DEO more regularly so I got to see her as well. After an hour, Kara would usually have to leave, but sometimes Maggie would come down on her break with lunch for Alex and I, because as I soon learnt, Alex forgot about her basic needs for survival when she's stressed. Unfortunately for my Kryptonian self, I needed to consume about 17,000 calories a day, according to Kara. So Maggie would come down for a bit and then Alex and I would train some more until threeish. I'd hang out with Winn for a couple hours until Alex got off duty and then Maggie would swing by and pick us up. We'd get back to Alex's apartment and have dinner and play some sort of game. It turns out that - for someone who went to uni study biomechanical engineering - Alex is astonishingly bad at chess.

When I would lie on the couch awake and unable to sleep, I would start thinking. It was so strange that not even two months ago I'd been kept in a cage like some animal and now I had a family. I had Kara back, and Astra, and now I also had Alex and Maggie, and I could already feel that J'onn and Winn were here to stay. It still seemed unreal at times. Sure, it wasn't perfect, but it was still so wonderful. I couldn't quite put a name to the feeling, but I suppose you could simply call it peace. I hadn't felt this at peace in a long time. I'd almost forgotten what it felt like. 

It was another Monday morning, and Maggie, Alex and I were just finishing up breakfast when Kara swooped in the window. 

"Kara!" Alex and Maggie yelled simultaneously as their case files flew all over the place. I grinned.

"Hey Kara," I greeted her.

"Doyouwannacometocatcowithmetoday?" she blurted out. I raised my eyebrows.

"What was that?"

"Iv rip sem vo ʒɡæm vo Catco ba çæp gem.zɛt?"

"Kara," I chuckled, "English. Maggie and Alex don't speak fluent Kryptonian."

She took a deep breath, a puppylike grin playing on her expression. "Do you want to come to Catco with me today? I've even got glasses to help you with the sensory input." She shoved the glasses into my hands and I smiled a little, slipping them on my face.

I looked at Alex, who nodded. "You're ready if you want to go."

"Yeah... alright."

"You're gonna be great," Maggie assured me. I gave her a small smile before Kara grabbed my wrist and all but dragged me to the door. 

"Well we gotta go," she said as she opened the door. "Byeeeee." 

With that, I was dragged out of the apartment after shooting a desperate glance at Alex, and pulled down the stairs and to the street. 

I fiddled with the hem of my shirt. I'd had to borrow some of Alex's clothes. Her wardrobe was very… limited. Navy blue, dark purple, black tops, black pants and an abundance of leather jackets and some suits pretty much summed it up. I wore a dark purple top with figure-hugging black pants, but at this point I was just grateful for clean clothes that didn’t itch.

We reached the street, and Alex farewelled us as she went one way and Kara and I went another. The street had to be about ten times more stressful than when flying over it. Everything was so _loud._ I jumped as a car passed me, honking its horn obnoxiously. Things were never this loud on Krypton; our modes of transportation were silent.

We entered a crowded square and I found myself shrinking away from anyone who so much as brushed my arm. Kara placed her arm around my shoulders to support me after I tripped, suddenly uncoordinated because of all the stimulus.

“Deep breath,” Kara said quietly. “Catco’s not far away now.”

We made it to Catco, if only just before I had a full-out panic attack. Kara stopped in the lobby near a coffee shop. She led me over to the coffee-machine – a machine that I recently learned Alex relied heavily, and I mean _heavily,_ on.

“Here’s your usual for Miss Grant, Kara,” the barista said with a smile, handing Kara a cup of coffee. I recoiled slightly so I stood half behind Kara when she turned her gaze to look at me. “Hi, I’m Gemma. What’s your name?”

I glanced at Kara nervously, pushing my glasses back up my nose to give myself something to do. I was immensely glad when Kara answered for me, “This is Astrid, my sister.”

“I didn’t know you had a younger sister, I thought it was just Alex.”

“Nah, I wish,” she shoved my playfully, and I grinned a little.

Kara took the coffee and led me to an elevator. I hesitated before getting in, and Kara pressed a button, closing the doors.

“Remember to breath, Astrid. It’s alright, I know you wouldn’t be a fan of small spaces. I wasn’t either for a long time.” I nodded stiffly, and the elevator doors pinged open. I hurried out.

I was immediately overwhelmed by the amount of intrusive smells, sounds, emotions. There were too many people. They were walking everywhere, while some were sitting. My steps faltered, barely noticeable to the human eye. But Kara wasn't human, and picked up on my hesitation to enter the crowded space. She paused.

"Deep breath, yeah? It's okay, I know it's like a wave of sensory input, but you just need to block it out."

I nodded and breathed in, and out slowly. 

Kara moved confidently through the space whilst I trailed behind her closely. Catco was louder and brighter than the surroundings I was used to. There were so many sounds around me: the tapping of keys on a keyboard, the buzz of chatter, the whooshing sound of an email being sent, phones ringing, pen on paper, the sound of an elevator across the office. 

"Hey Kara, hi Astrid," I turned to see Winn sitting at a desk and smiling at us goofily and - if I must say so myself - contagiously. I made myself focus on his and Kara's voices, trying to ground myself.

"Hey Winn." Now that I looked at his desk, I wondered how I hadn't known it was his immediately. There was a freaking cardigan on the back of his chair and the only people on this planet who wore those seemed to be Kara and Winn. Not to mention the action figures littering his desk. He rolled his chair over to us.

"Hear the elevator on the other side of the building? That's Ms. Grant's," Kara said as she placed the coffee and latest Catco magazine on her desk. "Ms. Grant can be a little intense, but she's really an amazing woman."

"A little?" 

I jumped and spun around to see a tall, dark-skinned man behind me. I shrunk back into Kara slightly, and she put her arm around my shoulders comfortingly. "Astrid, this is James. James this is Astrid, my sister."

His eyes widened slightly, "As in..."

"Birth sister, yes."

He nodded and looked at Kara, "Funny. You've never mentioned her before."

"She thought I was dead before," I defended immediately. People could be passive aggressive to me as much as they want, but I drew the line at my family. I looked away from his intense gaze just as the lift doors pinged open on the other side of the room from where we entere. In walked a blonde woman with her hair cut short, high heels, sunglasses that seemed too big for her face and a deep green pencil skirt. She was staring at her phone as she expertly weaved through the desk towards Kara's desk. She took off her sunglasses and stopped in front of Kara's desk.

"I know three out of the four of you," she said. She looked at me, and suddenly I felt as though what little metaphorical armour I had was being stripped away. I shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot. She had this same powerful air about her that Lillian did, and that put me on edge. She seemed different, yes, but I could tell she still had power, and she knew it. I fixed my gaze on the ground and partially hid my body behind Kara as she asked, "Who are you?"

I looked to Kara with panicked eyes, and she took that as a cue to answer for me, "This is Astrid, Ms Grant."

"Fine. Kiera. My office. Now."

Kara, apparently responding to this name as well as her own, scrambled to keep up with Ms Grant, leaving me to hurry in her wake. The back of Ms Grant's office was covered in Tv's, and along the right wall was a table with multiple drinks. The left wall was made of glass. A desk stood in front of the many Tv's, and two couches stood facing each other on opposite sides of a small coffee table.

Cat Grant sat on one sofa, prompting Kara to sit on the other as I stood awkwardly at the door. Ms Grant looked at me expectantly. "Well? Are you going to just stand there, or are you going to come sit down?"

I was starting to see what Kara meant by intense as I went over to the couch Kara was on and sat down without a word. I could feel Cat Grant's eyes burning holes in me, as if she'd somehow stolen Kara's heat vision. I couldn't meet her gaze, so instead I fiddled with my glasses.

"Oh my god, you're a mini Kara," Ms Grant said after a few moments. I looked up at her, confused.

"What do you mean?" Kara asked, taking the question right off my lips.

“I _mean,_ she acts just like you do.”

“Well that would make sense,” I muttered under my breath.

“Why?”

I looked up to meet Miss Grant’s gaze, before looking to Kara for guidance. She nodded a little, so I explained to Miss Grant, “We’re sisters,” I said tentatively, “so it- it would make sense that we- um- have similar habits.”

“I don’t bite, you know,” she snapped. “Keira.” She rose from where she sat and went over to where she kept her drinks and glasses. “Reschedule the board meeting for this afternoon, and I still want you to get that exclusive with your CEO friend at L-Corp.”

“Yes Miss Grant,” she said also standing, “I’ll get on that right away.”

“Where are we going?” I asked as Kara headed back to the lift, fiddling with her phone.

My sister faltered for a moment but walked into the elevator and pressed a button.

“Um. We’re gonna meet a friend of mine.”

“What aren't you telling me, Kara?” I demanded. I knew she was hiding something from me.

“Nothing?” It sounded more like a question than a statement. I pierced her with a glare before deciding to let it go.

We headed to L-Corp. The name rang a bell from somewhere, but I just couldn’t place it. I didn’t mind. I trusted Kara. L-Corp wasn’t far from Catco, and we were there in five minutes. The second walk had been easier than the first; I seemed to be getting a grip on this whole super-senses thing.

This new building wasn’t too dissimilar to Catco. Maybe all office buildings were like this. We got in an elevator – still not my favourite activity – and Kara pressed the top-floor button.

“So who is this friend exactly?” I asked, trying to get my mind off the elevator.

“You’ll meet her.”

I gave Kara a look at her less-than-vague answer. “I’ll just ignore how suspicious you’re acting right now.”

We reached the top and the doors opened. I stepped out to see a calm reception area. It was a relief to my senses, the calm environment.

“Hi Kara,” the woman behind the woman behind the reception desk said, “Head right in.”

“Thanks Jess.”

“Do you know _everyone_?” I asked as Kara led me through a door.

I followed her into the room and looked around the office. To our right was a literal wall of glass that looked over National City. A dark oak desk with a computer and notebooks, some closed, some flipped open, on it sat with a chair adjacent to it. The was a bookcase along the wall opposite us, and on our left was a tall, thin woman with her jet-black hair pulled into a neat bun. She wore a black pantsuit that contrasted with her pale skin. She chewed on the end of a whiteboard marker as she viewed the equation in front of her, confusion plain on her pretty face.

"Hi Lena," Kara greeted. "I brought doughnuts!"

The woman was shaken out of her thoughts and turned to us. Her bright green eyes focused on Kara before flicking to me. I took a look at the board behind her, intrigued by the equation. It didn't take me long until I realised it was wrong. The problem was unsolvable. I was brought back to the present as the woman spoke.

"Hi Kara, and who's this?" she asked, smiling.

"This is Astrid," Kara said.

It was then that it hit me as to who this woman was. My mouth became dry and I felt the colour drain from my face. I should've recognised her sooner. Why would Kara bring me to Lena fucking _Luthor_ 's office?

"I don't bite," the woman said with a slight smile. 

"I- I... Kara I shouldn't- I shouldn't be here," I said turning to my sister. 

"Nonsense," the Luthor interrupted. "Any friend of Kara's is welcome here." She moved past us to the sofa and I scrambled to put distance between us. Her smile faltered. "Are you alright, or are you one of those 'all Luthor's are bad' types?"

I shot Kara a panicked look and hissed at her, "I told you I shouldn't be here." 

"Lena is not her brother or her mother, Astrid," Kara said firmly, if a little defensively. 

"They grew up in the same house, Kara! How different can she be?! Did you know that that house has a literal _dungeon_ in it? I do, because I was locked in there for I don't even know how long."

"Hold on a moment," Lena said, standing again. I took a rushed step back. "What am I missing here?"

Kara ignored her, "Astrid just calm down for a moment. Please. Trust me."

I looked into her bright blue eyes and forced myself to breathe in deeply. I nodded, and Kara hugged me, "Rip nan vo͡ɪ." _You're alright._

My hands were trembling slightly. Screw that: my entire body was trembling. 

Facts. I needed facts. Lena’s a Luthor, but she was also outcasted from the family. Lex used to complain about how his sister’s ‘too kind’. Lena is – apparently – also trying to distance herself from her family, by changing her company’s name for example. But she also has a psychotic mother who’s probably still out for blood – specifically mine. Then again, Kara trusts her, and I trust Kara. 

"Astrid, xɑʃ." _Breathe._

"Tæ ɪn tiv θɹev im Rao nɑn rip ʒɛd m̩.bɪʃ?" _How in the name of Rao are you her friend?_

"Is that Kryptonese?" I jumped at the sound of the Luthor's voice. 

I turned to her defensive, and growled, "How do you know that?"

The woman's eyes flicked to Kara, who said, "I taught her some Kryptonese."

"She knows you're Kryptonian?" I asked, startled by this revelation.

"What, surprised I haven't locked her up yet because of a little thing called morality?"

"Yes actually. I am," I hissed. "If Kara didn't seem so intent on me trusting you, you'd be a pile of ashes on the floor by now."

The woman looked at Kara again, "You're Kryptonian?"

"My sister, actually," Kara replied. 

"That's- I didn't even know you had a sister."

I turned to Kara, not knowing what to say about everything going on. Eventually I settled on saying, "You're lucky I trust you." I couldn't do this. It was too much. I turned back to the Luthor, contemplating, before striding through the open balcony doors and flying off. 

"What's her problem?" I heard the Luthor ask as I flew. 

"It's not for me to share the details," Kara said, "But let's just say Lillian and Lex had her locked up for two years."

I heard nothing for a moment, but then I heard Lena reply, "Just another reason to despise my family, I suppose."


	8. Chapter 8

A few weeks had passed, and although I had gone back to Catco a few times with Kara, I hadn't seen Lena Luthor again, save for on the news and front pages of newspapers. Kara had tried to convince me to go back to L-Corp several times, but each time I'd refused. So instead, I'd taken turns going between Alex and Kara's workplaces. The world became less stressful after a while, though my nightmares didn't stop. 

After a month of living with them, Alex and Maggie had finally nagged me to the point of agreeing to see a psychologist provided by the DEO. I was going to see them for the first time today, and suffice to say I was less than enthusiastic as I drove to the DEO with Alex. Since the DEO was strictly confidential, they'd needed to hire a department psychologist with an appropriate clearance level, meaning that they were based at the DEO full-time. My brain was desperately trying to think of ways to get out of seeing the psychologist. Talking about emotions had never exactly been a strong suit of mine. Maybe it was a Zor-El thing. Not to mention that this person was going to be someone who I'd never even met before. Hell, I hadn't even seen a photograph of them yet. 

"You alright?" Alex asked.

"Do I have to do this?" I'd asked this question a million times already, and the answer remained - irritatingly - the same.

"You should give it a shot."

"Like you did after you were almost drowned by an old highschool friend?"

Alex sighed and gripped the wheel just a little tighter. "Maggie told you about that?"

"Yep."

"God, I need to talk to her about what is and is not appropriate for conversations with minors."

"Hey," I argued, "You were the one who wanted kids. Not her. Isn't that why you two almost broke off your engagement?"

Alex pierced me with a look and I shrugged. "She's not the best with kids, apparently. I'm starting to see that now."

"Technically I'm older than you."

"Time doesn't pass in the Phantom Zone," she disagreed.

I laughed, "I don't accept that."

"Obviously."

My nerves soon returned as we entered the DEO. Alex led me down corridors I'd never seen before, despite having been exploring quite a few times now. It was amusing how this place seemed to just get bigger and bigger.

We eventually stopped outside a door and Alex knocked. The door opened to reveal a blonde, middle-aged woman. She wore glasses and a blue sweater and looked like just about every stay-at-home mum in Netflix Originals. 

"You must be Astrid," she said warmly, voice a little too sweet. I didn't reply, so Alex took it upon herself to reply for me.

"Sure is. I'll see you later, yeah?" she said, turning to me. I gave her a short nod, and she smiled a little and said in Kryptonian, "Rip nim vo͡ɪ." _You will be alright._

"çæp ɹa͡ʊʒ." _I know._

With that, she reluctantly turned and walked away.

"Please, come in and have a seat."

I did so slowly, taking in the room. There were cheesy posters on the walls with sayings like "Don't worry, be happy" or "There's always light at the end of the tunnel". This woman had to be colour blind too, because there were so many bright colours in the space it was hard to keep track. Orange pillows on a blue sofa, a yellow armchair, plant in a red pot in the corner, colourful patterns on the back wall. I jumped a little as the door closed behind me and half turned. The psychologist gave me what she probably thought was a reassuring smile. It didn't reassure me at all. I sat, my posture stiff, and the psychologist took a seat as well.

"I want to start off by saying everything in this room is strictly confidential, meaning it's just between us unless you or someone else is at risk of harm. Do you understand?" I nodded. "Great. So you live with Alex?"

"Yes."

"So you two are close?"

I eyed her warily for a moment before replying, "I suppose."

She scribbled something down on a notepad and I narrowed my eyes slightly. The woman looked back up at me. "So it's just you and Alex?"

"No."

"Who else lives with you?"

I didn't see why this was any of her business. I thought she was here to determine if I was mad or not. Not ask a bunch of useless questions. Why did she even want to know about Maggie anyway? "Maggie."

"Ah. Maggie Sawyer, right? Alex's fiancee?"

"Yeah."

"So do you like her?"

"I don't feel left out, if that's what you're getting at," I said briskly.

"Okay. So, do you know why you're here?" I said nothing. Truth be told, I hadn't actually asked. "Astrid. You've been through a lot. I'm here to help you talk through what you need to talk through and-"

"Who says I need to talk through anything?" I snapped. 

"Astrid, you were with Cadmus for two years. I'd be concerned if you _didn't_ need to talk through the things that happened there. I just want to help you."

"I don't need to talk through anything," my voice wavered slightly, and I hoped she didn't notice. But her job was to notice things like that, so I was a fool to make myself believe I'd hidden the lie well. A small part of me knew I was trying to deny my trauma; that pretending it wasn't there wasn't going to make a difference.

"Astrid, PTSD is normal after an event like one you've been through. It-"

"PTSD is a _human_ problem," I snarled. 

The woman leaned back a little, nodding and scribbling down some notes. "You sound like another client of mine."

"Let me guess. Astra In-Ze." The woman looked up curiously.

"Actually, I was talking about the Girl of Steel." I hid my surprise at this new revelation. Kara?

"What happened to 'strictly confidential'?"

"Supergirl isn't her real name. Technically I'm not breaking any rules because you don't know who I'm referring to."

"Think about that for a moment," I said slowly, as if talking to a young child.

"What do you mean?"

"I live with 'the Girl of Steel's adopted sister. Even if Kara wasn't my blood-sister, I'd still know who she is."

"You're her... sister?"

"Hm. It seems Alex has a thing for taking Kryptonian teens under her wing."

"Alright. So, human problems. What do you mean by that?" I clenched my jaw and stayed silent until the woman spoke. "Astrid?"

"This is stupid," I said, standing. "I don't have PTSD, I don't need to talk about what happened in the past, and I don't need any fucking help."

I strode out of the room, half expecting the woman to follow me. I was relieved when she didn't, and made my way to the main room. Alex was there, standing over Winn's shoulder and pointing at something on the screen, a serious expression on her face. It was strange to see how Alex changed between 'work-mode' and 'off-duty mode'. I understood now why the newer agents seemed afraid of her; I suppose I would be too if I didn't know her like I do. But the moment we left the DEO, she'd go back to being soft and loving and gentle, and if Maggie was involved, really cheesy. That was one of the things I admired about Alex - her ability to know how to act where and when. She reminded me a lot of Astra. 

"That was a quick session."

"There was no point in me staying there."

"Why no-"

"I don't really want to talk about it, Alex," I said with firm finality. 

"Do you want to go home?" she asked quietly.

I thought about this for a moment before nodding, and said, "I'll see you at home."

Alex had given me a house key a few days ago, and it was one of those things, whilst being a small gesture, that made me feel like I was finally part of a family again. Kara had been there when I'd shed happy tears, and she'd hugged me, whilst Alex was confused and asked if I was okay. It was such an Alex thing, being super concerned if I was upset. I'd laughed and nodded. Kara hadn't needed to ask. She knew what I was feeling. I imagine it was how she felt when Alex first sat at her lunch table after Kenny's death. That feeling of long-awaited acceptance, long-awaited love. 

I wandered down the street. Now that I could more-or-less control my senses it was a lot easier. Sometimes louder sounds would catch me off-guard - like a car horn - and I'd shoot into the air a few feet before hurriedly making sure my feet touched the ground quickly enough that people didn't think I was flying. Other than that though, walking down the street was actually alright. The city had this energy about it. Like it was alive. 

I was a block away from the apartment when I heard a scream. I spun around to face where I thought the source of it was coming from, and saw and alley. My feet felt somehow stuck in place until my mind forced them to move. _Kara fights rogue aliens and supervillains every day. Surely you can take on what's probably just a mugging._ I entered the alleyway to see four human men wrestling an alien to the ground. He was from Starhaven, I soon recognised. But more importantly, he was losing. He was on his knees, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth. All four men fighting him were still standing, seemingly unharmed.

"Let him go!" I yelled. 

With a final boot to the stomach, one man turned. He raised his eyebrows. "Boys, I think this one would be better use of our time," he called out. The other men turned to me, and all had similar reactions to the first. A sick feeling entered my stomach, though I didn't know why. I stepped towards them. They were human. I could take them, right? Wrong.

I hissed in discomfort as the first man unsheathed a knife. A _kryptonite_ knife. I took a couple steps back, not noticing the man behind me until I rammed into him. In an instant, I felt the prick of a blade against my throat and my body weakened with the close proximity to the Kryptonite. Why did I have to be so _stupid?_ Why couldn't I have just ignored this and walked home? I knew the answer to this, of course. Because despite my fear, I never would have forgiven myself if they'd killed that alien and I'd done nothing to stop it. 

I struggled weakly. Twisting and squirming. The man gripped my arm and held the knife closer to my skin, cutting into my skin. "Nah ah ah," he tutted. I shiver made its way down my spine at the pure menace in his voice.

A van reversed into the alley slowly and I stumbled as I was dragged back. The van stopped and one man opened one of the back doors. "Get in," the man behind me growled in my ear. I bit my lip to suppress a whimper of fear escaping my lips, and I got in the van. The moment the doors closed, encasing me in darkness, a sickly green glow lit the area. My legs gave way and the floor of the van rushed up to meet me. I landed with a thud and slid a little as the van began to roll away. Tears stung my eyes. What had I done? 


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: manhandling and attempted rape. If you don't want to read either, stop at Astrid's POV, if you don't want to read the attempted rape, stop reading at "It was about another hour until I saw anyone else. The door to my cell opened and in walked a man I hadn't seen before. I kept my eyes trained on his feet, only just remembering I wasn't supposed to look up."
> 
> Please, please, please do what's best for your mental health and don't read this if there's something in it that could trigger you.

_Lena's POV:_

Lena wasn't at home much. Half of the time, especially when she was working on projects, she would even sleep at the office. She didn't mind it. She enjoyed her work. But the fact was, that her home wasn't really her home at this point. Sure, she owned the penthouse, but there were very few personal items. No cute animals mugs like the ones Kara filled her cupboards with, no selection of movies. so refined you could tell her personality from just a glance like Alex, _definitely_ no family photos sat on immaculate sideboards, coffee tables and desks. Lena's house looked virtually uninhabited.

The woman herself was currently sat on her couch, shoes off and legs tucked underneath her body as she nursed a glass of scotch in her hands. She'd just seen on the news that Lex had escaped prison, and whilst part of her was trying to push down any thought of her adopted brother, the other half wanted to know what he wanted this time. A knock startled her out of her thoughts, but she hadn't even put down her drink before the door opened and there stood the very man she'd been thinking about.

"Hey sis," he said, his fake little 'loving brother' charade switched on. 

"What do you want, Lex?"

"Straight to the point, then." He pulled a piece of paper of of his suit pocket and sauntered over to Lena, offering the paper to her. She took it suspiciously with her free hand and opened it. 

"An alien auction," she raised her eyebrows at his and handed the invitation back. "You know I'm not interested in that."

"They have a Kryptonian." This caught her attention, and Lex grinned as her gaze shot up from her glass to his eyes. "They brought her in earlier today."

 _Kara._ Was Lena's immediate thought. Her mind raced. _Surely they didn't catch Kara. The world needs her. I need her._ She had to ask. "Supergirl?"

Lex laughed at this, "No. We don't know her name. Mother and I had her at a Cadmus facility at one point, but the DEO raided it."

 _Wait,_ Lena thought, _not Astrid. Damnit Kara's going to be so scared for her._ Lena struggled to hide her expression. She'd always hated how Lex could read her. "So you want me to bid on her because you can't."

"Exactly."

"Fine." Lena hated herself for this. She was going to a fucking alien auction tomorrow. To _buy aliens._ It made her sick the way people sold others because they were born elsewhere. But she had to do it. She had no choice. This thing was annual, and it was huge for the rich. There'd be too much security for the DEO to handle. She was Astrid's only hope, whether the Kryptonian liked it or not. 

"Really?" Lex seemed surprised. Maybe his sister was finally coming around. He handed her the invitation.

"Don't make me rethink this," Lena warned.

"Right then. See you later, sis."

With that, he left, and it was like he was never there. Well, except for the fact he left this cold air in his wake. 

* * *

_Astrid POV:_

I must have passed out in the van at some point, because when I next became aware of my surroundings, I was in a small cell with one glass wall. Outside of my cell was another facing mine. Rao, it was like some sort of cell block. One either side of the cell opposite mine were more cells, telling me there were probably cells on either side of my own as well. The cell I was in was small, only around 3x3 meters. 

Rao, what was I going to do? I paced around the cell, agitated, before trying my luck at breaking the glass. I kicked at it, only to feel a sharp zap of pain around my neck. My hand immediately went to the source of the pain to find a metal band sat snugly around my throat. I couldn't tell whether fear or anger was the stronger emotion. They were treating me like an animal. They were treating all of us like animals. I struck the glass again, and cried out as an even sharper pain shot through my body. I hit the glass again and again, gritting my teeth as the pain steadily increased. 

"Damnit!" I yelled as I struck the glass again. My knuckles were red, though the skin hadn't broken. "Damnit," I said more quietly as I walked over to the back corner of the cell to sit. 

My body was sore from the constant shocks of the collar, and my head throbbed with the signs of a headache. I brought my knees to my chest and hid my face. I was caught again, and I couldn't do anything about it. Alex probably wouldn't even know I was missing yet. Tears slipped from my eyes as I realised how easily everything I loved could be taken away from me. _Why me?_ I asked myself. 

It could've been a few minutes or a few hours later when I heard the door of my cell swing open. My knuckles turned white as I gripped my knees, and if possible, I curled into an even smaller ball. I looked up to see a tall man enter, and I shrunk back into my corner. 

"Up," he ordered. I didn't move. I _couldn't_ move. I was paralysed. The man didn't seem pleased with this because he strode over to me, grabbed my arm and yanked me to my feet. "When someone tells you to do something," he bellowed, his face inches away from mine even as I pressed myself even further into the corner, "you do it! Do I make myself clear?!"

My entire body trembled, and I found myself unable to speak. 

"I asked you a question!" he yelled, stepping forwards so his body was pressing into mine and he was towering over me. "Do I make myself clear!"

"Yes," I forced out, trying to keep tears from spilling down my cheeks.

I felt a rough hand tangle in my hair and pull, forcing me to look up through watery eyes. "Good." He stepped back and shoved me into the middle of the cell. I turned to face him, but he barked, "Stay still." I stood stock-still as the man circled me, looking me up and down. "Species?"

My brain couldn't track his words. It was like trying to walk through knee-deep mud. "I- I-"

"What planet are you from?" he demanded impatiently.

"Krypton," I said quickly, not wanting to bring any more harm to myself than necessary.

"Age?"

"Sixteen," my voice trembled slightly.

"Name?"

"Astrid."

A pause. "Full name?"

"Astrid Zor-El," I breathed. 

"You a virgin?"

"I- _what?"_

The man looked at me with a cold, serious gaze. "You're pretty, you're young, and majority of the people here today are going to be horny middle-aged white guys." I felt what little colour I had drain from my face. 

"N-no," I stammered, looking down. 

"Rules: listen to all instructions, reply with 'yes sir' or 'no sir', no trying to break out, keep your eyes on the ground at all times. In about ten minutes, people will start coming through this section, you are not to act aggressively or in any other way that will hinder your sale. Failure to comply will result in a shock from your collar. Questions?"

"No sir," I said quietly. 

The man walked out of my cell and I let out a shaking breath. I headed back to my corner where I crumbled to the floor. I'd never wished to be home more than I did now. Maybe this was just a nightmare, some figment of my imagination. Maybe I was in a coma or something and really, I was still back on Krypton with Kara and Astra and mum. No. It was stupid to hope in an impossible reality. I wasn't there. This was real. I just wanted to go home, wherever that was. I wanted to go back to Kara, and Alex, and Maggie. Hell, I missed Winn and J'onn and James. They were my home. I wanted to go home. 

I heard the buzz of people talking and footsteps, and I brought my knees to my chest again, resting my forehead on my knees to hide my face. I could feel people's stares on me, burning holes in me as if they'd stolen my heat vision. I looked up a little. I saw an almost-familiar pair of shoes. I couldn't place where I'd seen them before. Against my better judgement, I looked up to see the owner's face, and my breath hitched when I recognised her.

Lena Luthor.

What was she doing here? I thought she was on our side. Did Kara know where she was? What she was doing? My gaze hardened as. I glared daggers at the Luthor. Her face was blank, but I could have sworn I saw _something_ flicker in her eyes. I looked back down, and soon enough, they all moved on. 

It was about another hour until I saw anyone else. The door to my cell opened and in walked a man I hadn't seen before. I kept my eyes trained on his feet, only just remembering I wasn't supposed to look up.

"It's Astrid, right?" I heard a rough voice say.

"Yes sir," I said quietly.

"I must say, Jones was right when he called you a pretty little thing." I stiffened, highly uncomfortable. The man continued to saunter forwards. "Get up."

I got up quickly, not wanting to be manhandled again. The man stepped forwards to press his body against mine. This wasn't the same as how the other man had done it. He'd done that to intimidate me. This was different. I knew where this was going. My breaths were coming in short and shallow. At least, they were until lips crashed against mine, knocking my head back against the wall behind me. 

I squirmed desperately, breaking contact between our lips. I sucked in clean air before my breathing hitched, pain shooting through me. I cried out through clenched teeth as my muscles locked up. A rough, calloused hand gripped my throat and angled my face towards his again. 

"No. Please," I begged, sobbing. 

"Don't move," the man said, voice low with an unspoken threat. He moved back to fumble with his belt. I squeezed my eyes shut, praying to Rao that this wouldn't happen. Not again. "On your knees," he growled in my ear. Tears cascaded down my face and I shook my head, a silent plead. My eyes were still shut, hoping against all hopes that this wasn't about to happen.

"Baker!" a voice yelled. I turned my head and opened my eyes to see a woman in a red dress. Snake tattoos marked her body, and confidence radiated from her. "Get out." 

The man in front of me visibly paled and shoved it back in his pants hurriedly. He pinned me with a glare, lip curled into a snarl before he turned away and walked out. He shared a quick word with the woman before moving out of my line of sight. 

I slid to the floor, mind numb. The woman outside didn't come in my cell. She simply spared me a cold glance and walked away, leaving me a sobbing mess on the floor of my cell. 


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: abuse

When my cell door next opened, I stood quickly as three men entered. My mind raced. Was I going to get punished for something? They all held ropes, not at all easing my anxiety. I eyed them warily as they approached. 

"Stand still," one ordered.

I tried to make myself small, insignificant. I'd back myself into a corner. "Don't touch me," I spat half-heartedly. This was my last chance. I had a sick feeling that they were intending to take me to the auction now.

One man moved to grab me, and on pure instinct, I dodged his hand. "Stay still, freak."

He grabbed my shoulders, and my knee shot up into his crotch. He yelled out, and struck me across the face. My head hit the wall behind me, my vision going white for a moment. I felt blood leak from a shallow cut on my cheekbone from what seemed to be a wedding band. Who'd even think of marrying someone like him? I screamed as sharp pain shot through my body, liquid lava in my veins. My muscles locked up, and I felt a hand grab my jacket and shove me against the wall. I couldn't think with pain like this. I squirmed desperately, trying to find a weak point, trying to find a way out of the corner I was trapped in. 

A hand gripped my throat in a vice-like grip, connecting a rope to my collar. The rope was tugged violently, and I was forced to the floor. One man stood on the rope, keeping me knelt on my knees, my face inches from the floor. Still, I struggled. I tried to push myself up with my arms until my wrists were grabbed and ropes tied to them as well. Suddenly there were more people, someone having evidently called for backup. The only thing I saw was their boots, too restrained to see much else. 

I cried out desperately, though I knew logically that no one would come to my aid. 

My legs were forced out from their folded position under my body, and I kicked hopelessly, trying to hit someone, anyone. My ankles were soon pinned to the floor and being tied together with rope. In a last-ditch attempt to free myself, I flipped onto my back and kicked the man who'd been tying my feet together with both legs in the face, causing blood to spurt from his nose and reel back. Another man held down my legs.

There were too many of them. The one I'd kicked, the one on the rope, the two who'd tied my wrists, the man who now held my legs down, one man who was now securing my hips to the floor... there were too many of them. There were too many of them, and my energy was spent. Panting, I stopped my struggle, holding back tears.

They finished tying my legs together without any argument from me. 

"You done now?" one asked impatiently. I clenched my jaw. I didn't want to say yes; I didn't want to give in. But what choice did I have? I nodded. "Good. Then get up."

The people who'd been holding me to the floor released me slowly, as if I was going to attack again the moment I let go. I didn't realise how much I'd been straining against the man who'd stepped on the rope attached to the collar until he stepped off it and I felt ten times lighter. I got up, half dragged by rope. 

"Move," the man barked.

I wanted to snap at him, but I didn't have the energy or the will. I was going to be _sold_ to some- Rao, I didn't even have words for how I wanted to describe people who _bought aliens_ in English. 

I followed the men out of the cell, trying to ignore the constant tugging and the rope digging into my wrists, the throbbing of my face, neck, wrists, legs and hips. I knew I'd bruise impressively - without my powers, I had no way to heal. As a flight of stairs came into view, I heard a muffled voice speaking. I couldn't hear without using my powers, and with the collar on, I wasn't intending to experiment. When the voice stopped for a moment, I was tugged up the stairs and onto a stage. Below the stage was a sea of people in fancy clothes with expensive jewelry, sipping glasses of champagne that probably cost more than Alex's apartment. 

"Ladies, gentlemen and NB's alike, here we have a sixteen year old Kryptonian." The crowd murmured curiously, "Let's start the bidding off at 2 million." 

I flinched away as the crowd roared, too loud for me, even with my human hearing. I tried to block it out, imagine that I was under a spotlight being sold to the highest bidder. I was able to block it out for the most part, until, it seemed, my fate became sealed.

"26 million! Do I hear 27? No? Going, going and sold!"

* * *

_Lena's POV:_

Lena watched with a deadly calm as aliens were bought and sold. It was disgusting, really. They were each in different conditions, some looked fine, apart from a dead, hopeless look in their eyes. Others seemed angry. Those ones often sported bruises and broken noses and split lips. There wasn't an in-between, not really. Some, Lena could see, still had spirit which - as much as she'd like to disagree with herself - she knew would soon be broken. Others had already been broken, and Lena dreaded to think about how Astrid was fairing.

When the Kryptonian teen was brought out on the stage, sporting a colourful array of bruises on a fair amount of the skin she could see, Lena's breath hitched. Fresh blood still dripped steadily from a cut on the girl's cheek as she hung her head, visibly exhausted. She had a slight limp, forced to take uncomfortably small steps due to ropes that tied her legs together. Her hair hung loose and messy from its braid, already knotted. 

The auctioneer began the bidding, and Lena felt a flash of sympathy as she flinched away from the crowd. Lena was going to win this. 

* * *

_Astrid POV:_

"Pleasure doing business with you, ma'am."

"And you," a familiar voice said. I looked up, needing to know if I'd correctly identified the voice. No sooner had I glanced up than an open hand connected with my cheek. I stumbled a little, vision blurring, but I got the message. Don't look up. "The rules, bitch. Or do I need to remind you before I hand you over?" the man growled, his face so close to mine I could feel his breath. I shook my head.

"No," I said quietly.

"No what?" he said, voice laced with menace.

"No sir," I wished my voice didn't shake the way it did.

I felt the all-too-familiar Luthor glare boring into me, but I didn't dare raise my eyes again.

"My car is outside. I want her secured in the back seat. I don't care how you do it, just make sure she can't escape."

"Yes Ms. Luthor."

Lillian. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, not sorry about the cliffhanger and whiplash...


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: thoughts of death and (maybe?) suicide.

_Lena's POV:_

The bidding was up to 20 million when a cloth was slapped over Lena's mouth and the barrel of a gun was pressed against her temple. She fought to stay awake, but the drugs soon took effect and she found herself sagging into her captor's arms as she lost consciousness.

* * *

_Astrid's POV:_

I didn't fight as I was tied into the car. The ropes around my wrists were secured to the car door, and the rope connecting to my collar was tied around the headrest.

 _If we crash, the collar will crush my windpipe,_ I thought grimly. I shuddered. The fact that the idea of that didn't scare me that truly terrified me. No, I couldn't think that way. Dying was the easy way out. No, I had to. fight. For Kara, for Alex, for Astra, for Maggie, and everyone else who I now considered family. 

Lillian got in the car, pulling the door shut. I pretended to not notice her presence, but it was hard not to notice.

"Astrid Zor'El. So that's what your name is. Rather amusing that you never told me your name in the two years we were in each other's company."

"You never asked," I replied dully, staring out the window as the car rolled forwards. Was I going to get food when we got to wherever we were going? Or water? 

We pulled up outside a familiar warehouse. I'd been to this one before. It wasn't the one Alex had rescued me from, but I'd been here before. Alex. I wondered what she was doing now. Did she care that I was missing?

I knew the drill by now. Lillian's men grabbed me from the backseat and led me into the warehouse. It was exactly how I remembered it. The operating room set in the center with clear barriers around it, though I knew from the inside I wouldn't be able to see out. There were desks littered with tools and gadgets, a whiteboard with calculations that I'd learnt by the time I was ten on Krypton, my cage in the corner. What I hadn't been expecting to see, however, was Lena Luthor bound to a chair, unconscious body limp. My steps faltered at the sight. I'd assumed she'd been at the bidding with Lillian, but why would Lillian drug and kidnap her own daughter?

I hesitated as I realised they were taking me to the cage. No, I was done with small spaces. I was done being in dog cages. I leant back on my heels, trying to ignore the yanking on my neck and wrists. I struggled, but ultimately gave up as I realised it was a waste of energy and instead reluctantly allowed myself to be dragged forwards. I was shoved in the cage unceremoniously, the ropes tangling themselves around my arms and legs. The cage rattled as the door was slammed shut and that was when I panicked. 

I struck at the bars with my feet and hands, not even able to fully stretch my limbs to get enough momentum to do so effectively. Lillian glanced over at me, a cruel expression on her face. I still hadn't stopped striking the bars when Lena came around. She looked groggy at first, eyes gaining clarity as she realised she was bound. She looked around frantically, though clearly trying to hide her fear. Her gaze fell on me, still beating the cage, though more weakly now. 

"Ah, Lena dear, you're awake."

"Mother? What-," she glanced over at me again, "that's unnecessary."

I was barely paying attention to the conversation. I just wanted to get out. The cage seemed smaller than I remembered, and already my limbs were cramping and stiffening. 

"On the contrary," I heard Lillian say, also looking over to me. I avoided her gaze, not wanting to give her the satisfaction of acknowledgement, "It's one of the things we use to make her obedient."

"She's not a dog."

Why was Lena defending me?

"I thought you'd be excited to be able to test you experiments on a live specimen with similar anatomy."

Breathing heavily, I gave up on my attempts at breaking the bars. That wasn't happening anytime soon. 

"Well you thought wrong," Lena replied coldly.

"So emotional," Lillian tutted. Lillian looked over to me and we locked gazes. "Getting used to it again?" she sneered.

"Leave her be," Lena sighed. 

"She's not human Lena. She doesn't deserve your sympathy."

I shut my eyes, trying to imagine being anywhere else. My limbs shook. From anger, fear, exertion: I didn't know. I kicked the bars again, and the cage rattled. Exhaustion was winning over my desire to stay awake. I could feel it already. I felt lightheaded and dizzy, and Rao, I was so hungry and thirsty. My vision was blurry and my body was sore all over. 

"You'll have to get used to this if we're going to work together, Lena," Lillian's voice sounded further away. More muffled. 

"I'm not going to work with you." Lena's tone was sharp, but it was like I was under water. 

I don't know whether I passed out or simply fell asleep, but whatever it was, it was a relief.

* * *

The light above me was a harsh, bright one. I squinted and turned my head to see that I was hooked up to an IV. Everything was blurry, my eyes still adjusting to the light. I was on a metal table, strapped to it at the ankles, hips, chest and wrists. I wriggled slightly, looking for any give in the leather bindings. I found none, which wasn't surprising. I was in the box-like area in the center of the warehouse. 

Lena was standing on the opposite side of the little area, leaning against a workbench and facing me. In one hand she precariously balanced a tablet whilst in the other she held a whiteboard marker. She seemed to be working on the equation on the whiteboard next to her. She turned to make some adjustments. 

"The equation's wrong," my voice was hoarse and weak, but Lena jumped all the same. She spun around to face me.

"You're awake." 

I fought the urge to give some sarcastic remark like 'no shit, Sherlock', but refrained. Instead I said, "Y-you were working on the same equation in- in your office when I f-first met you, weren't you?" I asked nervously. I wasn't sure how she'd react to a me asking questions, but how would I ever know if I didn't test the waters?

"I- yes. What's wrong about it?" I felt my heart drop into my stomach. Damnit, telling Luthors' they were wrong was a surefire way to dig yourself a grave. "Astrid? Are you alright?"

"I- I'm sorry. I shouldn't- shouldn't have s-said y-you were wr-wrong and I- I wasn't thinking a-and I-," I stumbled over my words, eyes wide and panicked.

"Astrid, breathe," Lena said calmly, moving over to where I was lying. I recoiled away from her. "Astrid, you're alright." I flinched violently and unintentionally as she placed a hand on my arm, immediately pulling back. She slowed her movements, and fumbled with the straps the held me down.

"What- what a-are you doing?"

"I'm undoing the restraints," she said quietly, as if I was some frightened animal. I guess I wasn't all that much different.

"Why?"

"Are you going to attack me or try to escape?" she asked, looking down at me and raising an eyebrow. 

"N-no." I shook my head.

"Then I don't see why you have to be tied down." After a moment of silence, she continued, "Honestly, it's no wonder why you couldn't stand to be in the same room as me if you thought I'd treat you like my mother does."

I sat up after she undid the last restraint - the one over my chest - and pointed to my IV line. "Do you want me to take that out?" I nodded, lips pressed tightly together as I stared at the ground. "It might pinch a little." She removed it a lot more gently than Lillian ever did, and when she was done, I stood up cautiously, half expecting it to be some sort of trick. When it turned out to be safe and Lena didn't react angrily, I backed away as far as I could, so I was in the corner, squished between a med-cart and the wall.

* * *

_Lena's POV:_

She was terrified of her. Astrid was absolutely _petrified_ of her. Her body trembled, and she couldn't seem to get a single sentence out without stuttering. That's not even counting the look of pure panic in her eyes. Even when she'd first met the Kryptonian she hadn't been this afraid of her. What the hell had they done to her at that auction house?

Lena watched as Astrid backed away as far as possible, never taking her eyes off Lena, but never making eye contact. Lena's immediate thought was to go over there and show her she meant no harm, but the logical side of her knew that focusing on and moving towards the frightened girl would only make things worse. Hell, even _looking_ at her seemed to make the girl uncomfortable. So if paying her attention made her fearful, logic says she should do the opposite. That's how, instead of going over to the young Kryptonian, Lena simply turned away and continued working as if she'd never been distracted. 

Lena didn't want to be working with her mother, but really she had no choice. Lillian, like a damn shark, had sensed that Lena cared for Astrid and used that against her. She'd threatened to hurt Astrid if Lena didn't work with her. At least if Lena stuck around she could try her hardest to make Astrid's life a little less miserable. Who knows, maybe she could even form a sort of relationship with the teenager. Lena glanced over her shoulder at the mentioned girl, who flinched at the brief eye contact shared and forced her gaze to the ground as her body hunched, seemingly trying to make itself smaller. Lena sighed, thinking _don't get your hopes up about that relationship happening._

Pushing that thought to the back of her mind, Lena continued to flick through the never-ending files of information on the Girl of Steel's sister. Her mother had a scarily large amount of information on Astrid. _God,_ she thought, _so many biopsies and operations._ The girl had even died twice. The more Lena read, the more irritated she became. She put the tablet down with a little more force than necessary and cradled her head in her hands. Now was not the time to be angry. Not so near Astrid. The girl was already scared half to death by being in the same vicinity as her, Lena didn't need to add negative emotions on her part to that.

Lena spun around on the stool she was sitting on to face the whiteboard. Astrid had said it was wrong, which would absolutely explain why she couldn't solve it, but what was wrong?

"Astrid?" Lena asked, not turning away from the board. Maybe the girl would feel less intimidated if she wasn't being watched. There was no reply, but Lena knew she was listening. "Which part of the equation is wrong?"

There was a moment of hesitation before the Kryptonian answered, but Lena gave her time to collect herself, and soon she was rewarded with a reply. Lena corrected herself, and saw that Astrid was right.

"That's- that's brilliant, Astrid."

It made so much more sense now. She'd been trying to see it through one lense this whole time. The rest was easy to solve from there, and five minutes later, she'd cracked it. Lena put her final answer on a sticky note and stuck it in her pocket before turning to Astrid. Her smile faltered slightly at the sight of the girl still in the corner. Of course, she hadn't expected anything else, and at least she was cowering as much as she had been before. 

"I'm not going to hurt you, you know," she said gently. No reply. They were as far away from each other as possible; both at opposite corners of the room, and yet it didn't seem far enough away for Astrid's liking. Lena supposed she couldn't blame her. She'd probably do the same put in the same situation. The door to the room slid open with a quiet hiss, and Lena's jaw clenched at the sight of her mother. This was _not_ what Astrid needed right now. The woman - no, the _devil -_ had entered from the door in another corner, making Astrid shy away. It was only then that Lena noticed that she'd inched out of her hiding spot a little. Not much, but enough that her back wasn't flush against the wall. It was now, thanks to Lillian's entrance. But she hadn't been pressed into the corner before. That's progress, right?

"Lena," Lillian said sternly, "Why isn't she restrained?"

"She's not going anywhere mother. If you hadn't noticed, she's terrified of the consequences if she steps so much as a toe out of line."

"And we keep it that way through not being _soft._ Get your head in the game, Lena, because otherwise, _things_ like her will take it off." Lena glanced at the girl cowering in the corner to her mother's right. No way was she going to hurt anyone she she was pretty much afraid to breathe without Lillian's permission. "How long has she been awake?"

"About ten minutes?"

"And I trust you were about to get underway?"

"Yes, mother," Lena replied shortly, not missing how Astrid's eyes shone with confused fear. 

"Good. I'll be back in a few hours to check on your progress."

With that, the devil left, the door sliding closed behind her. "Astrid," Lena said, trying her hardest to sound soothing, "Come here."

The Kryptonian was stiff as a board as she moved over to Lena. "My mother wanted us to just run some mental testing today, nothing painful or anything like that." _Easing us both into it,_ Lena thought bitterly. "Are you okay with that?" Astrid nodded, but Lena didn't believe for a moment that she was actually okay with it. "Astrid, look at me." The girl's gaze snapped up instantly, "We don't have to do this right now. I don't want to do this anymore than you do, so we can just do nothing for five minutes if you want and then do it."

"I'm fine to do it now," Astrid said dully, knowing that there was no point in putting it off. 

"If you're sure," Lena said, reaching behind her and retrieving a stack of papers and a pen. "I assume you know what to do by now?" Astrid nodded. "Okay then."

The stack of sheets were basically an IQ test. Lillian had said she wanted to start from the beginning, since she wasn't sure how being exposed to the real world could have impacted Astrid's thinking processes. Later, Lena would analyse this test and one from a year ago to try and pinpoint differences and what could have been the cause for them. For now, she decided to let Astrid have some peace and left the room.


	12. Chapter 12

Hi everyone. Honestly, I'm not very happy with this fanfic. I just didn't plan it right and there are a bunch of plot holes that I missed. I'm probably going to rewrite it and keep parts of it, but ditch the main story. Sorry...

**Author's Note:**

> I'm always open to prompts, but please no hate; if you don't like it, don't read it.


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